I'll Take You Deeper
by chinarai
Summary: In one way or another, they simply fit. xiv: birthday boy ii: "Hey!" She throws an arm around 2D's shoulder and he leans down awkwardly to better fit into her embrace. "There's this creepy guy hitting on me and he won't leave. Do you mind if I stick around with you guys for a bit?"
1. i: Comfort

I've started to show interest for the Gorillaz lore just recently, and I can assure you that I've binge-read plenty of 2nu fanfics in the past days - and there aren't enough, if you ask me.

Here I'll compile my poor attempts at platonic/romantic 2nu of varying ratings, some of which might be connected. I can probably speak and write English to save my life (or not), but given that it's not my first language, 2D's way of speech is just a watered down copy of what I've seen so far lmao

Hope you enjoy!

 **Romantically Inclined Roommates (R.I.R.):** _Comfort_

* * *

 **i. Comfort**

* * *

Nights in which 2D could get some decent shuteye were usually rare, and this was one of them. Despite the howling winds and the flashing lightning streaking across the stormy skies above Kong Studios, he lied in bed and slept peacefully with his limbs strewn about in an uncomfortable looking position. With his mouth hanging open and a thin trail of saliva making its way down the side of his face, he wore only his boxes and an old, dirty and stained tank top to bed.

He had just marathoned a bunch of horror movies, had literally spent hours awake staring at the tv screen. The vocalist was out cold the moment his face touched his only thin pillow and he was so exhausted that not even the tree branch that rattled against his window disturbed his sleep. He never heard the hinges of his door squeaking as it was opened about an hour later, nor did the added weight on his mattress make him stir and come close to awakening... But the hands shaking his shoulder in the next second did.

2D jumped awake with a startle and looked about his dark room with wide eyes. Only when lightning flashed and illuminated the space around him did he see Noodle by his side, her hair a mess and a frightened expression on her face. He blinked the sleep away and rubbed at the inner corner of his eyes with a hand as the other pushed him into an upright position.

"'Ey, Noods." He cleared his throat and she smiled apologetically, but soon it gave way to fear once more, and the man furrowed his brow as he regarded her. "What's wrong?"

Now, Noodle still did not understand or speak much English. She could pronounce each of their names and at best a few words like _pancakes_ , one or two curse words that were courtesy of Murdoc, _please_ and _thank you_ that were taught by Russel, and, much to 2D's immense pleasure, she knew how to say _zombie_ – quite fluently and frequently at that. He could only hope that she would understand him now, somehow; she had been living with them for only a little more than three months.

The little girl blurted a stream of jumbled Japanese words that 2D could only wish he knew what they meant, but thankfully, she pointed at his window as she spoke, and as lightning struck and cut her sentence short with a sharp gasp and a dive to hide her face in his arm, he understood.

He could not help the chuckle that bubbled in his chest and lifted his arm to wrap it around her small shoulders. "'S alright, love, 's jus' a storm."

Noodle happily curled herself by his side, pulling his sheets up to her chin and making herself comfortable. The vocalist was sure his arm would be dead by morning, but honestly, knowing that she felt safe sleeping there was worth it. It took him a while to fall asleep again, though.

* * *

The many doctors he saw as a child and science itself could not explain how such thing as falling off a tree could make all of his body hair – sans his eyebrows, apparently, mind you – fall off and grow back blue, but they could tell his parents that he had suffered brain damage that was irreversible and would have to be treated with meds for as long as he lived. That was why he was always taking pills in the morning, afternoon, night or whenever, and they had always been a part of his life, so he never really thought it odd that he had to take so many painkillers and whatnot to have a normal day. As normal as days with Gorillaz could be, that is.

Usually, his pain manifested itself in the form of a dull throbbing behind his eyes or the sensation of having a needle stuck through his head. If he were lucky, and he rarely ever was, 2D would wake up in the morning without feeling any pain at all, which, honestly, made him feel a little weird, because after more than thirty six years with migraines as his constant companion, he felt oddly empty. And, of course, there were the times when it was so unbearable that he felt so sick and nauseous that the mere thought of moving made him want to vomit.

Tonight was one of these nights, and the thunderstorm raging outside brought back up memories from Plastic Beach that had yet to fade, so the vocalist found himself rather anxious as he trudged through the dark halls of their home, nearly bumping on everything as he made way to her room. He turned the doorknob and winced at the faint light from her lampshade, and found her lounging in bed wearing one of his shirts that Noodle shamelessly stole for herself and... Panties, most likely.

Her room was clean tidy and decorated to remind her of her heritage, and the curtains were thankfully closed. Noodle looked up from the pages as he quietly walked over to her, and marked where she left off with a slip of paper, putting the book aside before lifting her arms in a welcoming gesture. 2D fell right into them, resting the side of his face on her breast and inhaling deeply. She smelled nice, clean and fresh. 2D did not understand much of scents to properly describe it as something other than simply sweet, but if he were to guess, he would say she smelled of peaches. He loved it, just as much as he loved staying like this. It calmed his heart down, washed his anxiety away, made the pain more bearable.

Noodle reached over and turned off the lights, grazed her nails up and down the length of the arm draped over her hips and played with his messy strands of hair with her other hand. "Did it get any better?"

He hummed in response to her murmur, adoring the way she was touching him. "Now it 'as, love."

She let out a breathy laugh and leaned down to kiss the crown of his head. "Cheeky, aren't we?" 2D gave her the slightest of shrugs and cuddled closer, throwing one leg over hers for good measure. "Do you want me to sing to you?"

"Nah, Noods." He slipped his hand under the oversized shirt and gave her hip a gentle squeeze. "Could yeh, um, tell me favorite story again?"

The guitarist tightened her arms around his form, smiling and knowing that by the time she reached the end, he would be fast asleep. "Of course, 'D." With fingers still threading through his blue locks in a soothing manner, she began. "So, I had just arrived from Japan and made my way to Kong Studios, thinking I'd find the three of you here. Instead, the place was filled with zombies..."


	2. ii: Children

I had never thought much of it until I saw a textpost about it, really. So uh, I'm just playing around. I have two other pieces finished, but if you'd like to see something specific, don't be afraid to send me a request. I'll do what I can as long as I'm comfortable with it!

Also, I just watched their Telekom interview and I realized I really, really don't understand what they're saying.

Enjoy!

 **R.I.R.:** Comfort

 **Family:** _Children_

* * *

 **ii. Children**

* * *

Noodle smoothed her hands over her skirt, brushing away imaginary wrinkles and wondering for what the twelfth time if her outfit was too short. She never really cared what people thought of her or her appearance, but today was a very special occasion and she just wanted to make a good first impression. Peeking at 2D from the corner of her eyes, the guitarist secretly tried to fluff out her hair. Her drink laid untouched before her on the tabletop, unable to take as much as a sip considering that her stomach was doing Olympic-worthy somersaults inside of her.

2D turned to look at her just as she combed her fingers through her locks, and she smiled sheepishly, a blush creeping on her cheeks at being caught once again trying look presentable and good enough. He chuckled lightly and leaned in to peck her on the lips, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he reclined back on his seat. "Yeh look great, love. Stop worryin'."

"Sorry," she whispered and fiddled with her fingers beneath the table.

The coffee shop was quiet. Only a handful of other costumes were present, drinking their beverages as they flipped through the daily newspaper or looked at one thing or another on their phones. Noodle tried to distract herself by concentrating on the low music playing in the background, by counting the cars that passed by the window she sat, by reading the menu booklet for the third time in fifteen minutes. Nothing worked, so she shifted in the padded seat of her chair and went back to playing with the ring around her thumb.

2D's chair scrapped against the floor as he rose to his feet moments later. Noodle shifted her gaze between her latte and the tea he had been sipping, and scrambled to her feet to follow after him, tugging at her skirt with every step she took. The young man that had just entered the establishment was just as tall as the vocalist and about her age. 2D walked up to him and enveloped him in a hug, and once Noodle was close enough, she studied the man's face carefully as they greeted each other. He had dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, an oval shaped face and a very, very familiar nose.

Yep, definitely 2D's son.

The vocalist held the young man away at arm's length as he grinned, then dropped his arms to wrap one of them around her shoulders and pull her closer. "'Enry, I'd like yeh to meet Noodle. Noods, 'Enry."

Her smile was hesitant as she lifted a hand and offered it for him. "Hey, Henry. Nice to meet you."

Henry smiled brightly at her and shook her hand with vigor. "It's a pleasure to meet ya, Noodle. Love yer guitar solos."

She pressed herself against 2D's side as her lips stretched a bit further, and the vocalist motioned to the back of the coffee shop. "Come, son, let's sit fo' a bit."

The three walked to the table they had previously occupied, finding 2D's tea to be lukewarm, and her latte had gone cold long ago. Henry ordered a simple black coffee and rested his folded arms on the table, leaning forward slightly as he and his father chatted. It was not often that the vocalist could meet with his kids. While he had wanted to raise some of them himself, the mothers usually found it too dangerous to leave their children in a house in which Murdoc lived in. In one of the rare few times one of them was allowed to spend a night back in Kong Studios, 2D had found his kid inside the dirty toilet of the bathroom with one very drunk and very knocked out cold Murdoc curled inside the empty bathtub. Needless to say, none of them were ever allowed to stay for a sleepover again.

Noodle gave up trying to drink something flavorful and asked for a glass of water. Resting her chin on her palm, she observed the two of them conversing, smiling ever so often at the things they said. 2D was not close to many of his children, but it seemed that Henry was one of the few that actually enjoyed meeting up with him. Many times before, he had left the house to meet with them and returned less than thirty minutes later, looking rather indifferent. Occasionally, he would have a grin on his face that was visible from the threshold of the front door. Noodle could safely say that Henry was the reason for those bright smiles that made her heart flutter.

He told his dad about his life, what he had been up to recently, that he had met a nice girl at work and he thought she was the one. Henry fished his phone from his pocket and showed them a picture of a redhead with green eyes, a pretty thing she was. He mentioned that he had called 2D many times some months ago and got no reply, and the vocalist found it hard to explain to his son that he was supposedly marooned in Guadalupe. In the end, he dismissed it as a long story and told Henry he had lost both his cell phone and his number, and it took him a while to find it again, which was true.

She did not speak much with Henry, per see, still anxious at the prospect of meeting him as his father's girlfriend, even if it was a fact only revealed to Russel, Murdoc and their producers. It had yet to be announced to the public, and she wondered if 2D would tell Henry that today. Noodle did not know if she wanted him to or not. He seemed like a nice guy, however. Surely, once this wave of awkwardness that hit her passed, they could be good friends. He did love her guitar solos, after all.

After taking another sip of her water, Noodle rested her forearm on the tabletop and leaned back on her seat, allowing herself to participate in their conversation. Henry replied excitedly, this being a topic that he enjoyed quite a lot. It was a good thing that Noodle seemed to understand just enough about soccer to keep the conversation flowing, because the other man present had few interests when it came to tv and they were horror movies and live concerts.

2D grasped her hand beneath the table and smiled at her, making her own lips quirk mid-sentence. His son missed the whole ordeal, but she could see in the vocalist's eyes that he was glad she was trying to bond with Henry. Noodle squeezed his hand and giggled when he directed his focus to the vocalist again, and he hurried to think of a decent reply. Russel had been the one to perform a better father role out of the three, but she knew 2D would be just as wonderful if given the chance.

She only hoped he would take it.


	3. iii: Oops

To celebrate that Humanz is out, I stayed up till 3 a.m. listening to the entire album and decided to put up another chapter. A last minute decision I made, really, while making coffee less than thirty minutes ago.

This is for the lovely anon that messaged me on tumblr requesting for some "Russ and Murdoc reacting to 2nu." Now, sometimes I'm easily amused, so I hope you'll find bits of it just as funny as I did. Thank you for the prompt and, please, don't be afraid to send more!

I forgot to mention before that some pieces are connected; they're either prequels or sequels, so I'll let you know!

Hope you all enjoy, and Happy Humanz Day!

 **R.I.R.:** Comfort

 **Family:** Children

* * *

 **iii. Oops**

* * *

It was a rare evening for them, one of which the usual lots of talking and arguing was absent, for they were completely spent after working on their new album all day long. After eating dubious food in the ocean and growing in size because of their radioactivity, Russel had appointed himself as the official cook of the group and made sure that everyone would eat as naturally and healthily as possible, at least under his watch. There was no controlling some of their cravings for junk food, so he respected that as long as they kept it at a minimum, but today, even he caved in and agreed that they should order pizza. He was too tired to cook food for four, even though he always made food for a battalion because both he and 2D ate too much, despite the singer being so skinny for someone of his height and age, so he simply settled for setting the table for their meal after a nice, warm shower.

2D had gone out to retrieve their food, because it would be ready faster that way than if they were to wait for it to be delivered. Murdoc sat at the end of the table with his feet propped up on the chair by its side, idly taking a swig of his beer and occasionally scratching the area around his belly button. Noodle sat silently across from him, incessantly playing with the cap of the beer bottle and trying to calm her nerves that only seemed to grow more haywire with each breath the two men took. A cricket was nearby, but the sound it made was not enough to help her.

She wondered if this was how girls felt when they were about to tell their parents that they were dating their first boyfriend ever, and she wished she had experienced it sometime in the past so this would be easier, but alas, it never happened. She spent most of her youth running away from people that wanted her dead and trying to reunite with her friends. Well, here she was now, alive, safe, with the men she grew up with, and completely clueless as to how break the news to them.

Noodle took a deep breath in and waited. Waited for, uh, Russ to put the plates down and Murdoc to put the bottle away from his mouth. There was no easy way to do this, so it was best to avoid someone getting choked on alcohol and kitchen utensils falling to their doom. It was a good thing that 2D was out of the house, too. Who knew what they could and would do?

When the opportunity arose, she jumped at it without a second's hesitation, breaking the amicable silence as she, as nonchalantly as possible, stated: "2D and I are dating."

Even the little insect that was somewhere seemed to quiet down when the words left her lips. Both men turned to stare at her, speechless, and she wanted to curl into herself. Oops, maybe it was best to keep it a secret after all.

Murdoc's gaze was so intense that she shifted in her seat, suddenly being hyper-aware of the clothes she was wearing. Maybe this one time, Noodle should have put on pajama pants, even if the weather was so hot and humid that her crop top and short shorts seemed to be too much. The damp towel wrapped around her head seemed to weigh a ton, and she just wanted to dig a hole big enough to fit inside so she could disappear.

Russ opened his mouth a few times, trying to say anything, until he eventually shut it and turned away with a frown. This was bad. Oh, this was so bad that he had nothing to say, and this never happened. The guitarist wished something would happen, anything, maybe some paranormal activity would occur, or maybe someone could crash their car in their front door, anything as long as it took the focus out of her and they forgot about it.

Someone cleared their throat, effectively snapping her out of her reverie, the different scenarios in which she could use to flee and disappear dissipating as if they were smoke. Her dark eyes zeroed in on Murdoc to see hi place the beer bottle down and rub his forehead with his now free hand. "Pardon me, dear. I don' think I got it quite right..." He started slowly and then scoffed, as if what he were about to say was absolutely unlikely and ridiculous. "Did yeh jus'say yeh and 2D are dating?"

"I did," she replied without missing a beat. Perhaps faking some confidence would get the both of them through this unscathed.

Murdoc inhaled deeply through his nose and shared a look with Russel, who seemed to be too shocked for words still. "Well, as someone who raised yeh–"

"You didn't raise me."

"And as yer father figure–"

"Russ is the father figure."

"I gotta say, Noods," the bass player continued, completely ignoring her retorts. "I am deeply disappointed in yeh."

Noodle snapped her mouth shut and made a face of disbelief. What? Disappointed? He was not mad, he was just... Disappointed? Did this mean that she was worrying over nothing all this time?

"Yeh're such a pretty lady 'at could 'ave any guy in the world wrapped around yer little finger, and yeh settle fo' 2D? 'Oney, 'ave some standards fo' yerself. Yeh could literally date any soccer player 'at happens to be a walkin' sex god 'at'd make yeh very rich."

"Is money everything you care about?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Murdoc shrugged indifferently. "Seriously, Noodle, look at 'im. 'E's tall and lanky, 'is eyes are like voids n' 'e's missin' 'is front teeth."

"Murdoc, you're green and sometimes forget what's basic hygiene, and yet you bring a girl over every other weekend."

"I can' 'elp it if 'at's 'eir kink."

"Well, what if 2D is my ki–"

"Let's not go there, Noodle." Russ cut in as he finally recovered from his shock, grimacing. Noodle nodded and leaned back on her chair, deciding to keep as many details as possible to herself so she would not surprise the both of them further.

Murdoc was not done complaining, of course. "I can only imagine what 'e does. What? Yeh're gonna tell me 'e sticks 'is tongue thru the gap of 'is teeth and kisses yeh like that?"

Noodle buried her face in her palms and groaned. She was so frustrated she could cry and, honestly, she would rather have them shouting and trying to disown both her and 2D instead of this.

A slap resounded in the kitchen, and a hiss followed. "Look, Noodle." She lifted her head, angry with herself that her eyes got too watery, and Russel smiled sympathetically at her. "I'm glad you've finally given yourself the freedom to date someone. I'm... Somewhat glad it's 2D, because he's someone we know and trust and not some stranger. I'm sure Murdoc feels that way deep down."

When the bassist remained silent and with arms crossed over his chest, Russ elbowed him, and he merely grunted before turning his head fully away from her.

Russ shook his head and refrained from sighing. "I'm just worried how this will affect the band's dynamics if anything bad were to happen."

They had thought of it and talked about it a lot before deciding to pursue this relationship, but sadly, Noodle had no good answer to give him, because she and 2D never got to one concrete answer when discussing the topic before saying _screw it_ and making out right then and there. Therefore, she nodded in understanding and hoped that it would be enough for him.

"But if he breaks your heart, I'll break his neck, alright?"

Noodle rolled her eyes good-naturedly and accepted this. Russel had always been a little overprotective and he was not about to change now, but at least he was not making promises to snap 2D's spine in two the instant he stepped a foot in their home. At least, the drummer had stated, in some way, that he approved of them, and she was glad that he had taken it more lightly than the bassist had, going as far as to keep his voice even and calm to refrain from upsetting her.

"Fine," Murdoc drawled and faced her again. "Yeh're allowed to date 'im." Noodle raised an eyebrow, amused. She had never asked for his permission, and never would, but thought best to keep quiet since he was conceding and seemed okay with it. "But I don' want yeh two alone in the same room, ever."

"What!?" She exclaimed, jumping in her seat to an upright position.

He pointed at her with a long, crooked finger and narrowed his eyes. "I don' want yeh wearin' 'at 'round 'im either, miss."

"Excuse me?" Noodle was fuming now. Russel simply mumbled something under his breath and ran a hand down his face tiredly; leave it to Murdoc to try to control something that happened within _his_ band. "I am a grown adult!"

"'Ese are my rules." Murdoc lifted a hand to silence her and stuck his nose high in the air, looking as if he were royalty and could dismiss someone just like that.

The guitarist was getting ready to pounce on his neck when a car parked on the driveway, and the mood shifted 360°. The air seemed to get heavy and suffocating and the three of them got tenser and tenser with each step that they heard. Time seemed to drag slowly until 2D entered the kitchen, clueless as to what had just transpired between the three of them, and set the pizzas on the table, taking a step back to stand beside Noodle. The grin he had on his face faltered and disappeared as he took in their faces, and he frowned at them before looking at Noodle for some clarification.

"Did I miss anyfink?"

She parted her lips to reply that everything was _fine_ , _nothing_ had happened, but Murdoc, as usual, needed to have the first and last say in any discussion. "Well, now that the pizzas aren' in yer 'ands any longer..." He looked from their food to the vocalist that simply stared at him quizzically. Murdoc closed his eyes and breathed out through his parted lips calmly... But he was anything but calm when his eyes snapped open again with shrunk pupils. "I'm goin' to fuckin' kill yeh, face-ache!"

Noodle had hardly any time to react. Never in her life had she seen someone in their fifties springing from a chair so fast. 2D's only reaction was to move back an inch, too stunned to do much else, and by the time the guitarist stood to restrain the man, Russel was already doing a fine job in holding the older man back. Murdoc was screaming profanities at the blue-haired man, stretching his arms as far as he could in hopes that he could at least scratch him from across the table. The plates and glasses were rattling on the tabletop, the legs shaking as he struggled against Russ's arms, and his chair had been knocked over long ago when he lunged forward. With lips curled over his teeth, hair all over the place and deep lines marking his face, the bassist seemed to reach a whole new level of wild.

Her hand encircled 2D's wrist and pulled him back to create more space between him and the angry bassist. The stunned vocalist stumbled back, twisting his hand in her grip so their fingers were laced together firmly. The small display of affection and comfort did not go unnoticed by Murdoc and he bellowed loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear. "Touch my little girl n' I'll kill yeh, yeh dirty bastard!"


	4. iv: Record

Friday's chapter served somewhat as a bonus, so I present to you this week's chap. It's just a random idea that I had that I decided to play with; it's an AU and I kept some elements from the lore. Will this make sense? I don't knw, you tell me.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy?

 **R.I.R.:** Comfort

 **Family:** Children

 **El Diablo Records (E.D.R.):** _Record_

* * *

 **iv. Record**

* * *

Stuart sat in the waiting room, idly thumbing through a music magazine on the coffee table set before him as the receptionist typed away at her computer, filling the room with a clicking noise. He did not mind the waiting; he had a beautiful view that overlooked the city and the place was quite nice, mostly white decorated in blacks and reds. The room smelled of coffee, and the sofa felt soft beneath his weight. He flipped another page and pursed his lips, resisting the urge to check his phone and send his friend a message.

Russel was his best friend, they knew one another since college when they were roommates and the friendship persisted to this day. They used to go in concerts and talk about music all the time back then, but now with their busy schedules and jobs, it was hard to find the time to talk in person. So they settled for text messages and some occasional calls, and Russ would often tell him how he was singing more frequently and in different places. They were not very young; now both of them were way past thirty, but they managed to follow their dreams even if it took them some time.

Stuart had felt the impulse of ditching his current record company and agent, and did so with the intent of seeking out another one, one that was said to have one of the worst men to work with as its owner, but that could make your career skyrocket. Russel had advised him against it, and for a while, Stu did as his friend told him, but eventually his intuition pushed him to throw caution into the wind and do this without thinking or planning things through.

Therefore, now he sat here, in the waiting room of Murdoc Niccals's record company, El Diablo Records... The name did not help much with his reputation as Satanist, and Stu did not know how to feel about it.

The receptionist pushed away from her chair and walked over to the singer, keeping her gaze vacant as she examined him from head to toe before turning around. "Mr. Niccals will be seeing you now."

He rose to his feet and followed after her, thanking the woman when she opened the door to the office and stepping inside with little hesitation. The room was foggy and smelled of cigarette smoke, there was a statue of Pazuzu in the corner and an ox skull hung on the wall directly across from him. He tried not to think of the rumors as he gave the man a wavering smile and approached his desk with papers and objects haphazardly strewn about.

Murdoc was a man with green tinted skin, black hair with matching thick eyebrows, dark circles under his eyes, and a nose that seemed to have been punched a fair amount of times in the past. "What? Yer Stuart Pots?" He slapped Stu's portfolio, that he clearly had never opened, on the only empty space of the desktop. His yellowed fingernails were long and uneven.

Satanist? Stuart felt like he was making a deal with the devil himself.

"'At's me, yeah." He swallowed; suddenly, he regretted not following Russel's advice.

"Yeh don' 'ave the looks o' a rockstar. What the fuck 'appened to yer face? Why's yer hair blue?"

Stuart considered answering to the man's angry inquiry, but not even his extreme unluckiness could explain how he managed to get himself involved in many accident in his younger days which resulted in injuries he sustained for a long while. Falling off a tree, getting into two car crashes and few other incidents such as a having a baseball bat hit him square in the mouth when his parents took him to America as a kid could explain part of it, yes, but Murdoc was not interested in any of that, thankfully.

"Ehh, doesn' matta. We'll jus' wait fo' my daughter."

"D-Daughter?"

"Yeah, my daughter. I 'ad 'er with my ex – uh... Ex, ex, ex, ex, ex, ex-wife – yeh get the drill." Murdoc dismissed it with a wave of his hand and started picking underneath his nails. "Anyway, she's the one that's got a real eye fo' talent 'n stuff, so yeah, we'll see what she thinks o' yeh."

The singer shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Clearly, he did not expect that. He had imagined that he would have to please this stranger so he could have a contract – a _music_ contract – and he had few friends that gave him tips and whatnot to make Murdoc happy... But none of them ever mentioned his daughter. Oh God, he could imagine it now, a little girl most likely, with the same skin tone as her father and his nose before it got too fractured for wear, would waltz into his office and look Stu in the face for only a split second before deciding that he was not cute enough for her standards. She would tug on her pigtails, even, or maybe cry because his hyphema made him look too creepy.

Or worse, she would be a teenager and would deem him too scrawny and not hot enough, not exactly the underwear model type she liked. She would listen to him for five seconds and dismiss him completely, because his voice was not deep and overly masculine, and he would leave the office feeling ridiculed. Honestly, he felt humiliated now as he thought that two imaginary girls would turn him down solely based on his looks, which never once had bothered him before.

The door of the office opened and Stuart tried not to flinch. Footsteps echoed around him as Murdoc greeted the newcomer, and the singer was not ready to look at his doom in the face just yet... But he had to. Bravely, he inhaled through his nose and lifted his eyes to look at the person standing beside the producer – only to find that it was not a child or a teenage at all. She was a full-grown woman with pale skin and slanted eyes. Asian, she was Asian and she looked nothing like Murdoc as she peered at him with black eyes that were partially hidden behind a messy fringe. Her hair was choppy, wind-swept, she was short and thin with gentle curves in the right places. He had seen her face in the TV once or twice, if he was not mistaken.

"Stuart, this is my daughter, Noodle. Don' ask me why she picked this awful stage name." Murdoc gestured between them and turned to the woman dressed in a striped shirt and high-waisted shorts. "Love, this is the man you'll interview. Now if yeh will excuse me, I got somewhere else to be."

Stu remained mute as the producer stood from his leather chair with a groan and grabbed a pack of cigarettes before leaving the two of them alone. He picked at the hem of his shirt as Noodle made herself comfortable before him, trying to arrange the chaos that was her father's work desk. She eventually gave up with a click of her tongue and pushed things out of her way as far as they would go without falling off the edge, and finally reached over for his portfolio, breaking the seal and opening the file.

"Alright, Stuart Pots," she started as her gaze roamed over his basic info, and locked eyes with him, smiling. "Let's begin."


	5. v: Sequela

I haven't listened to many songs aside from Gorillaz songs these past days. Can't say I'm bothered by it lmao

This is the fruit of something that I thought of once, and I entertained the idea. Might turn this one into a little series as well, and I have a lot of these linked prompts in my file. Still, don't hesitate to send me requests. Please. I wanna write what you guys want to see! It's also worth mentioning that I went back and gave 2D's accent a slight boost, as well as Murdoc's. Didn't want to go full Cockney just in case I butcher it and don't understand what I'm writing.

 **Sequela:** _A condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury._

 _x_

 **R.I.R.:** Comfort

 **Family:** Children

 **El Diablo Records (E.D.R.):** Record

* * *

 **v. Sequela**

* * *

Walking in on each other while they were in various stages of undress was not anything new for them. Noodle had, countless times in the past, walked in on 2D while he was taking a shower, taking a piss, or even worse. She would walk into the bathroom with her headphones blasting so loud that he had to wonder how she had not gone deaf. Sometimes she would not even notice him there, as absorbed as she was in her music. When she was ten and noticed him there, she would greet him with a smile and leave whistling along to the tune. When she was in her teen years, however, she would walk away deeply embarrassed and a very dark shade of scarlet.

He walked in on her as well, now more than before. Back then, she used to sing in the shower and rare were the days when she did not do it. Her singing made it easy to avoid invading the personal space of a growing girl, and if he really needed to do something in the bathroom, he would knock; she would close the shower curtain and wait patiently until he left. Nowadays, Noodle moved around so quietly it was impossible to notice her presence until she was standing close to you just enough to breathe down your neck if she so desired. He had caught her undressing and drying off many times, and would always slap a hand over his eyes and exit in a hurry while apologizing profusely.

Today, none of them was undressed. It was the perfect opposite; they were both fully clothed, clad in socks and shoes to top it off, standing still staring at each other, him at the doorstep, her by the sink. The lightbulb flickered overhead, but it went unnoticed. When 2D dared take another step further into the cramped bathroom of their little rented house, Noodle whirled around in a flash, grasping the chipped porcelain of the bowl with her slim fingers.

The four of them had been living together for some goods months now, still trying to find the perfect one to call home, though. None of them seemed to be dirty or haunted enough for Murdoc's taste, so they actually stuck around in the little piece of sunshine that this house was. It was clean and airy, it did not smell of mold, the walls were not cracking, no windows were broken and they had an actual garden with flowers and shit. The house made Russel happy, and Noodle liked to sit down on the grass at the end of the day to soak up a little sun.

And 2D was sure that, in all those months since the four of them reunited after a long time far apart, he had taken a pretty good look at Noodle's face, and it was void of any scars that could have remained as traces of the injuries suffered when the windmill island fell whilst shooting the El Mañana video.

"Noods..."

Now it was not anymore. Instead, the area around her right eye was still discolored. A dark hue mixed itself with her own skin tone, turning the spot gray, and silver lines marked on her face where cuts had once been. Noodle tilted her head enough to face him, showing him the left side of her face, but only partially.

She knew she would not shake him off until he had the chance to look at it more closely, or until she graced him with an explanation, so the guitarist turned to fully face him, bracing her weight on the sink counter behind her. 2D shut the door quietly and approached her, opening and closing his fists by his sides as he considered his next step. The scar did not look pretty, but it was not ugly either. She would have to live with it, unless she wanted to undergo plastic surgery, which he knew she had already decided not to do. If she had, well, Noodle would have done it long ago so she would not risk being caught like this. That was okay, he decided whilst lifting his left hand to touch the skin under her right eye, he would support her regardless.

When the callused tip of his thumb touched her face, Noodle jolted, jumping back and so far from him that her head hit the cabinet on the wall with a loud bang. Murdoc, who had been surprisingly careful in this house, shouted from the living room below something about _property damage_ and _money_. 2D hardly paid him any mind, for he had just realized something much more important than payment for repairs.

Noodle had lost part of her eyesight.

She seemed very distraught now that he found it out, pressing herself as far away as possible from his hand that still hovered unsurely in the air. As it descended and returned to his side, the vocalist recalled the few times something like that happened, the times she did not notice people approaching her in crowded places from the left, because certainly someone of her caliber could train themselves to sense body heat, hear footsteps and whatnot. That would explain why after Murdoc managed to jump out and scare her, she spent an entire week sitting idly beside him, just listening to him breathe, she would explain when asked. He never managed to scare her again.

When they would have their meals, they never had specific seats, but _he_ was always, always, sitting by her left side as if...

"Russel knows." It was a statement, not a question. Noodle frowned at 2D, looking as if she were in absolute pain. Perhaps, she was feeling that way deep down, but he would never know. "Why... Why didn' yeh tell us?"

She pressed her lips together, shutting her eyes.

He spoke again, in a whisper. "Why didn' yeh tell me?"

"I'm sorry." Noodle chocked out, and whatever was holding him back vanished.

2D closed the space between them, which was not much to begin with, and pulled her into his arms, pressing his cheek to the top of her head, feeling her fingers dig into his back and her tears stain the front of his shirt. His heart ached deeply, squeezing painfully in his chest each time a sob reached his ears. Her smaller frame seemed so fragile as it trembled, as if she would fall apart and break if he let her go suddenly.

"I was so scared... That you'd replace me..."

"Oh, love..." He shushed her, stroking his fingers through her hair. "Yer our Noodle. We'd never do 'hat t'yeh." The vocalist pulled away to tuck strands of hair behind her ears and said, looking into her left eye. "I won't tell Muds if yeh don' wan' me to."

"Thank you..."

His lips quirked a little and he grasped her hands gently. "Yeh 'ad to go thru it alone 'fore, but not anymore, aight?"

Noodle nodded, sniffling, and cracked a little smile. "Alright."


	6. vi: Birthday Boy

I wanted to post this before leaving for uni. I won't talk much now, but I'll explain everything this Sunday.

Have this little quick thing that I whipped up and haven't proofread yet. Enjoy, and happy birthday to my lovely boy!

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort

 **Family:** Children

 **El Diablo Records (E.D.R.):** Record

* * *

 **vi. Birthday Boy**

* * *

His birthday came around before he had realized it, and his friends insisted that they celebrate it, especially considering that it was his first birthday after the new album had been released, about two years after they had reunited. It was a celebration for friends only, Murdoc had said when they were trying to convince him into inviting people over, yet he was sure that there were collaborators from their first album and people he had not seen or heard of in many years.

The house was cramped up, nowhere close to accommodating this many people as Kong Studios could, but he was not complaining. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, chatting and drinking and eating the store bought snacks on the table while both Noodle and Russel tended to the main course in the kitchen. 2D had thought he would regret letting them throw him a party, but he was mistaken. Everything was under control and no one had broken anything so far. The party would drag on until late at night, so he would have to wait and see how this much alcohol would affect his guests and if Murdoc would take them for another drunken ride around town.

2D excused himself from the conversation he was having, setting his empty glass aside in favor of going to the bathroom. He went up the stairs, wasting no time to relieve himself, and combed his freshly washed hands through his hair in attempt to tame it a bit. The rainy weather made the blue strands point at all directions, which was really frustrating, especially when they had photoshoots scheduled for these kind of days.

He did not notice the smaller hand that sneaked out of his bedroom when he was about to walk past it on his way back downstairs. Lithe fingers grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him into the room, the sudden jerk making him yelp before he found himself pressed up against the wall. He looked down at his captor, taking in her shorter stature and the casual burgundy dress that made her so endearing tonight. Noodle was looking up at him with knitted eyebrows and he chuckled at the sight, his dark eyes watching as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

"Ey, Noods." She straightened her stance when he spoke, loosening the tension in her shoulders. "Yeh want Murdoc n' Russel to kill me on me own birfday?"

Their relationship was still recent and still kept a secret from everyone else. They had been secretly dating for about two months now, testing the waters out, and he was pretty confident that this one would last. He had not had a long lasting relationship since Paula and now the singer believed that he was fully healed from that experience and ready to try again after so many failed attempts.

He saw her grip tighten around his shirt and 2D mused to himself at how someone so small as her could probably easily overpower him. Actually, she did that quite well. He had seen and experienced that himself, it was amazing.

Anyway...

The frown on her face deepened. "No one's gonna hurt you while I'm around, D."

His lips curled up softly and he reached for her face to caress her skin with her thumbs, watching as her expression softened at his touch. "I know, Noods." After everything they went through, she had grown highly overprotective of them, of him above all else. Their roles had been swapped and now it was her that kept and watchful eye on him, unlike when he did when she was much younger.

Her fingers splayed now across his chest and she breathed in deeply. "I wanted to give you your gift."

2D looked puzzled for a moment, but nodded and waited for it. She had already given him her gift, a new keyboard that he used to play the first few tunes of new songs he was composing. He had gotten other gifts as well from the guests, and though he had yet to open them, the wrapping alone let him know that it was all very expensive.

Noodle took a step back and opened her tightly closed left fist, uncovering two matching bracelets that laid on her palm. He easily recognized their style and instantly knew why she had asked him to teach her how to make these a while ago. She had even commented that, for someone with so little coordination as himself, he knew how to weave them rather quickly and seamlessly. 2D had made one for each band member; Murdoc carried his in his wallet, Russel tied it in his keychain, and Noodle found a way to attach hers to her cellphone.

The only visible difference from the ones he had made and the ones she had was that hers had one pendant each. She picked up the one with the N pendant, glimmering under the light that seeped in from the hallway, and tied it around his wrist after asking for his permission. 2D studied it silently for a brief second and took hold of the remaining bracelet, taking in the little S placed in its middle.

She offered him her wrist, and he tied the ends together as he spoke. "Y'know, it feels a lot like yer askin' fo' me hand in marriage."

Noodle snorted lightly and reached up to lace her fingers together behind his neck. "Nah, I'm leaving that to you."

"Hmm," 2D leaned down to press his lips to hers, loving the way she sighed and melted under his palms. "Got it. But yeh jus' asked me t'officially date yeh, right?"

She laughed, now cupping his face. "I did." She smiled and kissed him again, humming appreciatively as his grip on her hips tightened deliciously.

"I'm gonna run down the stair screamin' that I'm yer boyfriend now."

Snickering, Noodle twisted a lock of his hair around her finger and grazed his mouth with hers gently, her eyes fluttering shut as he enveloped her deeper in his arms. "Happy birthday, Stu."


	7. vii: Waiting

I'm graduating this year and I had to write an 80 page essay. Believe it or not, the file for this fanfic had more words than my essay, so I took a break.

Anyways, I have some questions for you guys! 1. If any of these stories get too many sequels, would you rather have I post them separate from here? And 2. Is it an obnoxious thing to try to write 2D's and Murdoc's accents? I've seen some text posts about people not understanding what they say or just finding it annoying in overall, so I was wondering.

Also, thanks everyone for the lovely comments! Once things calm down at uni, I'll reply to each of you individually.

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort, _Waiting_

 **Family:** Children

 **El Diablo Records (E.D.R.):** Record

* * *

 **vii. Waiting**

It was approximately four in the morning and 2D sat in the worn out couch of their living room, nearly dozing off time and time again as he waited. The other band members had gone to bed a long time ago, and he had tried to get some shuteye as well, but only managed to toss and turn on his bed for hours before he gave up. This was no ordinary insomnia episode; this was the result of him worrying once more.

He had sat on his mattress for minutes staring into the darkness of his small room, eyes tracing over where cracks were present on the walls, until he finally decided to stand and do something to occupy his time. Feeling his way through the dark of his bedroom and the hallway, the singer made his way to the bottom floor and helped himself to a glass of orange juice, sitting on one of the old chairs and drumming his fingers on the chipped wood table. They would have to buy new furniture pieces for their house eventually, as well as fix broken windows from unused rooms and walls that were far from perfect. Figures they would settle down in another haunted house, but no one was complaining yet.

The empty glass was now in the sink and he had been flicking through the channels for the past half hour or so. 2D entertained himself by trying to marathon some of his favorite horror movies, the classic ones he used to watch all the time with Noodle when she was little, but he only made it through one and a half. Finding that he could not focus on the plot of something he liked dearly and knew by heart by now, he settled for aimlessly searching for something interesting to watch, or just to fill the somewhat organized living room with noise. He eventually found a channel playing many indie songs and set the remote controller aside, sinking deeper into the lumpy cushions of their couch.

2D was finally starting to feel sleepy, yet he could not bring himself to go to bed just yet. He had to wait to make sure that everything was okay. They were in a new city after all; anything could happen and he wanted to be the first to know if anything were to really happen. Russel had assured him that it would be fine, and Murdoc had not bothered to give him any comforting words as he dragged his feet back to his room. It was just part of his nature to worry for her well-being, especially after everything they went through.

The doorknob jiggled and the lock clicked, and he jolted in place, unaware if he had indeed fallen asleep or if he had simply been startled. The front door opened with a creak and a mumbled curse followed, and he twisted where he sat to look at her with squinted eyes. Noodle placed a hand on the wall to support her weight and reached down to remove one of her high heels, doing the same with the other before setting it aside and out of the way. She deposited her keys in a bowl by the door and moved away from the entrance on her tiptoes.

"Noodle."

She gasped, a hand flying to her chest to rest over her erratic heart. "Shit, 2D." Noodle murmured in reply and looked in his direction, unable to look him in the eye due to the darkness and the light of the TV screen that came directly from behind him. "You scared me."

"Sorry." He apologized and rose to his feet, grunting as a bone popped back in place. "I jus' wanted to make sure ya'd get 'ome safely."

Noodle exhaled through her nose and smiled softly at him, her arms hanging by her sides in defeat. "I told you, you don't need to do that, 'D." She took in his appearance, his messy hair and dark eyes that were fighting a losing battle against sleep.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "Can' 'elp it."

"So I noticed," she whispered amusedly, and beckoned him over with a hand. Once he was close enough, she reached as high as she could to kiss him on the cheek, but only managed to brush her lips on his jawline. "You're such a dear."

"Really am not." He brushed her comment and his embarrassment off with a halfhearted shrug, glad that the darkness concealed the blush that crept up his neck. "Anyfink f'ya, Noods."

"Anything?"

Her fingertips brushed across the back of his hand, then his palm, and laced their fingers together loosely, softly, lovingly. It was so careful and so distracting he had a hard time trying to clear his mind. "Anyfink."

Her thumb rubbed along the side of his hand soothingly. "Then get some sleep, okay?"

2D hummed long and low, and took a step closer to wrap an arm around her shorter frame. "Will you sleep with me?"

Noodle smiled against his chest as she pressed herself to him. She smelled of alcohol and smoke mixed with her floral perfume, and it was nice, it was a weird mixture that really fit her. "Of course."

His bed was a bit too small for the both of them, so she took him to her room, where her futon awaited. Her bedroom was nothing like his; it was spacious and had been reformed to remind her of her origins and her home. He struggled to take off his shirt as she stripped herself right there before his very eyes, taking the article of clothing from him when she was done and slipping it on. She fit nicely in his arms under the covers, snuggled up against his body and pressing her mouth to his naked sternum. He kissed her shoulder, her cheek, her temple, hid his nose in her hair and breathed her in as his muscles relaxed and he slowly surrendered to sleep.

They were not lovers. Not at all.


	8. viii: Family

I was actually going to raise the rating, but then I realized it is/was Father's Day to pretty much everyone else in the world, so I decided to post this one instead to celebrate a bit.

 _Ren: Japanese for water lily_

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort, Waiting

 **Family:** Children, _Family_

 **El Diablo Records (E.D.R.):** Record

* * *

 **viii. Family**

* * *

2D whistled as he peeled the apple with a sharp knife, the skin falling to the tabletop in a pretty red ribbon. Music played from the radio on the counter, filling the kitchen with a funky song that did not match the melody of his whistles at all. The room was bright and illuminated, courtesy of the mid-afternoon sun, and clean and tidy, a handiwork done by Russel, who, now more than ever, went to great lengths to make sure that their house was spotless. He was doing a fine job, if 2D could say so, even if he did have to knock some sense into Murdoc to pick up after himself.

He brushed the peel aside and placed the apple on the plate to cut it into wedges, looking up at the child sitting on the highchair adjacent to him. The little boy was using a wooden spoon to bang happily on the surface before him, a grin that showed small, growing teeth splayed on his face. The singer could not help but smile at him, and reached over to ruffle the short locks of blue hair on his head. Figures that his only legitimate son would have blue hair, he thought with a chuckle before resuming the task at hand.

Much had changed since Ren joined their family, as they liked to say. Interviewers would ask about him, and they only ever said what was necessary, keeping any information about him at a minimum. The parents and the rest of the members did not want to expose the boy to the world at such an early age and had a desire to try to let him live the life any normal kid could live, as hard as it would be given that his parents were famous.

2D passed the first wedge to his son and watched as he nibbled on it, gripping the piece of fruit with his small clumsy fingers. It was impossible to describe the overwhelming feeling he had of finally being able to raise one of his own. He had many kids, none of which he watched grow. He would see them once as a toddler and then later when they could stand on their own two feet without toppling over, and then later again when they were about to enter puberty, and so it went. All of them had graduated college by now, and here he was, in his early forties and with a two-year-old kid that took after his family name. 2D liked it this way, and could not imagine another.

A car parked in the entryway as the singer drummed on the kitchen table with the spoon that was previously entertaining little Ren, and voices got louder and clearer as they unlocked the front door and made it past the threshold. If he did not know better, he would say elephants were walking around, but it really was just Murdoc making his way to the kitchen while carrying bags of grocery.

"Oi, face-ache! Feedin' the baby, eh?" He dropped the goods unceremoniously on the counter, nearly knocking the radio to the floor, and approached the child on the highchair, bringing his face dangerously close to the kid's. Ren stopped munching on his apple wedges, staring open-mouthed at the older man, drool trailing down his chubby face. "Kid's the spittin' image of ya, 'D. Poor thin' could've taken after 'is mother." Humming as if deep in thought as he brought his face even closer, Murdoc added. "'E's never gettin' laid."

The singer parted his lips to say something, to either tell him to move away or to say that he himself had gotten laid plenty of times with his looks, but Ren beat him to it, opening his mouth in a loud wail that made the bassist wince and move away, sticking his pinky finger into his ear to ease the ringing. 2D leaned forward and tried to soothe his son, but he would not have it, and continued to cry shrilly as his arms flailed about. The apple wedge flew from his slackened grasp and fell to the floor, and two seconds later Murdoc stepped on it, only to slip and fall on his back with a grunt on the cold tiled floor.

"What's going on here?" Ren visibly calmed at the sound of the feminine voice, and 2D slumped in his seat, bummed out that he never seemed to have the same soothing effect on the child.

Noodle walked into the kitchen with a flowerpot in each hand and set them aside by the sink before moving over to the highchair, cracking a big smile as the sniffling little boy lifted his arms to be picked up. "Hello, my darling." She wiped at the tear streaks on his face and kissed his forehead. "Is the evil pickle man picking on you again?"

Murdoc groaned as he lifted himself off the floor and rubbed at a sore spot on his side. "I ain't pickin' on anyone, woman."

"Sure you're not." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and stepped closer to 2D, bending slightly to peck him on the lips. "Hey, baby. I got you your favorite pastry from the store."

He smiled at her, reaching for her hand to brush his fingertips over her knuckles. "The one wif cherries? Fanks, love."

"Ugh, yeh make me sick." The bassist turned his head away with a grimace. "Hey, Russ, where's the booze?"

Russel replied without looking at him, busy as he unpacked the grocery and placed it in the cabinets. "I don't know, man, haven't seen it yet."

The kitchen was almost too small and too cramped with four adults and a kid there, but they did not complain, nor did they ever mention moving to a bigger house. 2D eventually stood up to help Russel, not without kissing his wife on the cheek first, and Ren returned to his highchair to eat his fruit while Noodle tended to the pretty violets she bought. Murdoc lingered around, most likely pretending to be bored as he tried to find something to do so he would not have to leave, but when Russel put in clear view the beer pack he had been looking for, he snatched it away and made himself comfortable on one of the chairs in the kitchen, popping a bottle open with little effort. He did pass more apple wedges to Ren, though, whenever the little boy would ask for them by curling his small fingers. Murdoc liked to act tough, unlike Russel that gave the best piggyback rides – Noodle could confirm that.

Noodle giggled quietly at the sight of icing and sugar all over her husband's face, and kissed his sweet lips, earning a big smile in return. 2D wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, bringing the half-eaten pastry up to her face so she could take a bite. He kissed her scalp and nuzzled his nose into her hair, sighing contently as they watched their friends interacting with their son.


	9. ix: Momentz (nsfw)

As previously mentioned, I'm raising the rating. Hopefully this fits your liking; I've never been good with writing adult stuff, still, I try lmao And! I'm turning this one into a series of sexy scenes based on songs probably? She's My Collar will have two versions because why not am I right

Enjoy!

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort, Waiting

 **Family:** Children, Family

 **Sex Yeah:** _Momentz_

* * *

 **ix. Momentz**

* * *

The crowd cheered as Murdoc popped open the fanciest, biggest bottle of champagne he could get his hands on, the cork hitting the ceiling at top speed. Their newest album, _Humanz,_ had just been released all around the world, and they needed to celebrate such achievement, so a house party was in order. Well, another one, that is. They had quite a few in the months that led up to this one. Music was blasting loud enough to make paintings and vases shake, various club remixes of their old and new songs, along with others from collaborators, composed the playlist of the night.

2D was trying very hard to enjoy the drink, but it was far from enjoyable. He preferred beer, the occasional shot of tequila, maybe scotch and vodka, but not this bubbly thing. Knowing that it was too expensive to go to waste, he held on to the glass until he found someone that wanted to drink it on his behalf. Murdoc was now going crazy at the bar area downing one margarita after another like there was no tomorrow, and Russel had long since stopped drinking for the night.

The song changed and _Ascension_ started playing. He knew that offering the collaborators his rejected glass of champagne would be rude, so now only Noodle was left as a plausible choice. But where was she though? He had seen most of the collaborators and people from Parlophone and Warner Bros., and yet, she was nowhere to be seen. 2D squeezed his way through some people he had never talked to that Murdoc invited, because they would help promote the album in some way; they were social media famous, that was the only thing he could remember about them.

The house had hardly enough space for this many people if they were simply standing, but as anything with the bassist, it had to be huge, so a dancefloor was installed in the living room. Lights danced and flickered from the equipment, and he shielded his eyes, squinting them to see the mass of bodies there. It was the last place left to look, unless she had gone to her room for one reason or another. He would rather not think of that.

And she was there, after all, dancing with Kilo Kish, Kali Uchis and Kelela, grinning happily and trying to drop as low as the other women. She gave up after a while and settled for swinging her hips to the beat, not paying attention to the guy that tried to approach her. 2D downed most of the champagne in his hand in one go then, his mouth suddenly going dry. He had always known she was the best dancer, but he did not recall ever seeing her this free on the dancefloor. And the guy was still trying to dance with her when she clearly did not want to. It made his skin crawl with something he could not name and he drank the last of his once neglected drink, tossing the _very, very expensive, don' yeh dare break it, 2D_ crystal glass to the floor without second though as the song transitioned to _Momentz_.

He halted at the edge of the dancefloor. Noodle pushed the guy aside with only her fingertips and returned her attention to the girls, screaming the lyrics with them as he watched on. He could not do it. He simply could not. 2D was no dancer and he was too sober for this, too self-conscious. He had no coordination whatsoever and he was wearing nothing special, meanwhile she was there in a skin-tight black dress that rode up high on her thighs when she bent her knees to shake her ass and _dear Lord_ he had to do something before the song ended.

Taking in a deep breath, he murmured to himself the lyrics of the song and weaved his way to her, stopping behind her dancing form and grabbing her hips before he could regret it and change his mind. She whirled around at breakneck speed, mouth open to retort, but quickly grinned at him and reached up to his shoulders. "2D! I thought it was some creepy guy, sorry!" He only nodded, trying to move his hips in time with hers, but it obviously was not working.

Noodle danced with him, if one could call standing there slightly shuffling while the other party was going at it hard a dance, and he was enjoying every second of it. She turned around once more, seemingly not minding having him there holding her hips tightly, and he kept on thinking of the lyrics. _Shivers down my backbone..._

 _Plastic on the ceiling!_

Now, he remembered this one part had always been her favorite and not only because she was the one to sing it. _It's like a short pause to catch your breath before you have to start dancing again_ was the explanation she gave when asked. So during this "break" she and the girls sang happily with wide grins on their faces, Kali with an arm slung over Kelela's shoulders and Kilo raising a glass above her head as they shouted the lyrics over the beat. And then, the break was over; the song resumed its previous tempo and beat and the group snapped back into action.

2D breathed in sharply when she began grinding against him. If it was purely unintentional or not, he did not know, but he could only hope that no one would see him there with his head bowed and eyes tightly shut. He pulled her closer until she was fully dancing against him and grit his teeth, feeling his skin begin to heat up and a very noticeable boner appear in his pants. She would think he was a creep, he had to pull away, put some distance between them, but this was _so good_ that he could –

He moaned. Loudly so, right beside her ear. In the next second, she was facing him again, and thankfully, no one heard the noise he made over the sound. Except for her. He was about to stutter out an apology when she rasped out: "My room, five minutes." She detangled herself from him, disappearing from sight before he could even process her words.

Once it all made sense, he was a nervous wreck. She was waiting for him, and he was not ready for this. 2D considered drinking margaritas with Murdoc on the bar in the time he had been give so maybe he would find some courage to face her, but the bassist was now shirtless dancing on top of a table with Vince Staples throwing napkins at him, pretending they were money. Asking Russel for some help was definitely out of question, so he ventured away from the commotion and up the stairs towards her room, finding that the time flew by as he was anxiously trying to figure out what to do. He knocked and opened the door slowly before setting foot inside with incredible amounts of hesitation. The song playing downstairs changed long ago and he could not recognize it.

Noodle was leaning her hip against her desk, facing him, her legs crossed at the ankles and arms crossed tightly over her chest. She was red in the face, her cheeks puffed, her finger tapping rhythmically on her arm. He closed the door and shifted a little, fiddling with his fingers as he looked at anywhere but her. Now, what to do? "Oh for fuck's sake." She breathed and launched herself at him, startling the poor singer. 2D's reflexes made themselves known for once and he quickly caught her, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist and her mouth descending upon his.

He immediately responded to her kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue and tasting the sweet alcoholic drink she must have had at some point in the night. Her dress had bunched up by itself above her hips, revealing lots of bare skin that he promptly gave a firm squeeze. Noodle gasped against his mouth and tilted her head back, sighing when he began kissing her neck. She let go of his shoulders and took off her dress, tossing it aside before pressing herself to him, her hands already wandering about his body and struggling to yank his shirt up his torso.

2D pulled away from her, holding her in place with a hand on her butt cheek as the other stopped her from going further. She frowned at him and pouted. "Are yeh drunk?"

Noodle blinked at him, flabbergasted. "What? No. No, you know I rarely get drunk."

"Oh, okay, good, I'm pretty sober, too." He nodded, licking his lips, noticing her eyes tracing over the movement of his tongue. She bit her own to keep from whining. "So, uh... Yeh wanna really do 'is?"

"Why... Wouldn't I?"

He shrugged slightly. "Dunno, I jus'... Don' want yeh to regret it later, y'know."

"Why would–" Noodle lifted a hand and pinched her nose bridge, steadying herself by gripping his shoulder. "2D, can we talk about this later after we have some pleasurable sex in which none of us will regret anything?"

"Yeah," he whispered, already walking towards her bed. "Yeah, we can."

Her bed, as it turns out, was a futon, and he fell down on it on his knees, the impact disturbing the grip of her legs around him. Noodle slipped down, and her clothed sex touched his arousal rather forcefully, eliciting a hiss form her lips. His hips bucked and she moaned loudly once his lips and tongue touched her shoulder, her body moving atop his and creating a delicious friction between her thighs.

"D..." She began, voice breathy, and she bit her bottom lip as her vision became hazy and unfocused. Her fingernails dug into his arms and she quivered, a high pitched squeal escaping her when his calloused hands squeezed her rear once more. "If we don't do anything quickly, I don't think I'll get past dry humping."

"Fuck, Noods."

2D detangled her legs from around him, his mouth on hers and forcing her to lie down on her back completely, his fingers working desperately to slide her panties down her lean legs. Noodle fumbled with his pants, not bothering to kick away her underwear that was caught in the straps of her heels, and hummed triumphantly when she pushed his trousers and boxers down his hips. With his erection now free, he slid it inside her without a second to waste, weaving his arms around her form and bringing her to an upright position.

Once more straddling his hips, she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt as she moved, throwing her head back and allowing him to kiss the column of her neck freely. His own hands held her hips tightly, moving them quickly, bringing them up and crashing them down onto his own hard enough to make him see spots. Her fingers got lost in his hair, the sound of her pants filling the air around them, mixing with the muffled beats playing downstairs, and he would be damned if he ever said they were not the best sound he could ever hear. 2D wished he could record these noises coming out of her swollen lips so he could listen to them whenever he wanted, as creepy as that sounded; but he would much rather listen to them live like this.

He reached up to brush her unkempt hair away from her face, prompting her eyes to flutter open and meet with his. He was quite sure his own were as cloudy as hers, and he tried kissing her deeply as she bounced in his lap. Their mouths and tongues did not interact for long. With her tempo increasing, the singer could only watch her riding him as he aided her movements, his mouth hanging open. 2D wanted to take her all night long in all the positions his mind could conjure, but they had guests downstairs and two unsuspecting bandmates that could grow suspicious at any time. But damn, did he want to lie her down and peel away her black undergarments so he could roll his hips into her slowly until she was begging him to go faster.

Noodle's moans changed in pitch and tempo, and his name danced on her tongue until it was cut short by a long, drawn out moan. She shuddered above him, arms wrapping tightly around his neck, and her orgasm drove him over the edge, prompting him to empty himself inside her with his face hidden in her shoulder, a guttural moan making its way past his clenched teeth.

2D lowered her down onto the futon, slipping from inside her before laying down by her side, his arms resting awkwardly on his stomach. Noodle was still panting and catching her breath, and he did not know exactly what to do now. It felt good, even if it was just a quickie, and he was unsure if he should regret this spur-of-the-moment decision or not. It was Noodle, after all, fellow bandmate, his best friend; this could never be just a one-night-stand to him, and he did not know if she saw it that way. He had never drifted from a post-sex high to a moment of anxiety this quick before and wondered if he should have taken a detour to his bedroom instead.

The guitarist rolled over with a sigh, planting her lips on the bit of his exposed collarbone and whispered. "Stop overthinking, Stu." He glanced down at the top of her head and tentatively moved his arm to wrap it around her shoulders. She hugged his waist, nuzzling his chest with her cheek. "I told you none of us would regret this."

"Yeh did, but–"

"But nothing." Noodle said softly, stood and dragged her panties up her legs, running her fingers through her hair as she walked to her discarded dress that laid in a heap on the ground. "Do I look presentable?" She inquired once it was hugging her curves, and smiled when he nodded. "You'd look as well if you'd tuck yourself back into your pants."

He flushed bright red and did as told, embarrassed that his limp dick had been out for her to see, even if less than five minutes ago she had it buried deeply into herself. Still grinning at her own teasing remark, she offered him her hand, wiggling her fingers, and he took it, accepting her help to stand back up. "Do you wanna talk about it later?"

"Y-Yeah, please."

She nodded in understanding, lacing her fingers with his. "Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, 'D." The vocalist scratched the side of his neck and averted his gaze. Noodle smoothed out the wrinkles of his shirt, smirking lightly when he shivered beneath her palms, and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek chastely. "You should go back down first. I'll be there in a sec."

2D was still hesitant and she could clearly see it. The guitarist delicately ran her hands up and down his arms, tilting her head to look up at him, waiting for him to take action. The singer stared back at her, his heartbeat in a frenzy, mind reeling. Slowly bending down, he halted once before finally closing the space between their mouths, kissing her gently. Her lips were soft and gentle, her fingers curling around his biceps as she sighed against his mouth. Knowing that 2D would not have peace until things were clarified, Noodle broke the kiss and traced her lips up his jaw to his ear, whispering reassuringly. "It wasn't meaningless, Stu."

That did the trick. His muscles loosened and relaxed and the creases on his forehead softened. With much reluctance, he slipped from her hold and skimmed his fingers through his disheveled locks. 2D stopped at the threshold, looking back at her for some sort of something, and she was staring back at him. Noodle smiled prettily at him and his own lips quirked up before he closed the door and walked downstairs, the beginning notes of _She's My Collar_ reaching his ears.


	10. x: Charger (nsfw)

Yes, we're having two of these in a row and you have this video to blame (flyingwindill - tumblr - post/162973785752). I usually don't like to post these as soon as I'm done writing, but I didn't want to wait for this video to die. I just - I don't know how I slept at night after watching this tbh.

Enjoy!

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort, Waiting

 **Family:** Children, Family

 **Sex Yeah:** Momentz, _Charger_

* * *

 **x. Charger**

* * *

It felt so good to be up on stage again, even though it was not the first time she performed since the _Humanz_ tour began. Too many years passed between the fall of her windmill island and the definite reunion between her and her family, so it was nice to feel like she was going back to that old routine of when she was only a child or a teen. Noodle grinned at the audience as she began the first notes of _Charger,_ the steps she took around the stage muted by the loud music. Dressed in a red fitting long sleeved shirt, a black miniskirt and her favorite pair of over the knee, high-heeled boots, she was in such a high that she did not want the night to end.

It was one of her favorite songs to play from this album and she liked watching 2D perform it. From where they stood away from each other, Noodle closer to the front than the singer, she had a clear view of his face. His singing always got progressively more intense as the song went on and she adored the way he pinched his brows and sang aggressively near the end of it. It was not always that she got the chance to watch him from the front as he performed, so of course Noodle was going to make good use of the opportunity she had been given.

That being said, her eyes took in his performance hungrily and her gaze appreciatively travelled up and down his body to take in his movements. God, she loved it when he moved his hips to the beat like that and the fingers of his free hand curled to resemble claws, the veins of his neck popping, his teeth – or whatever was left – bared and gritted. It made her want to get all over him and touch every inch of his body. It made her feel so excited.

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head and Noodle chocked on her own spit. It was a good thing she was wearing her heart shaped sunglasses, and it was a miracle that her expression remained schooled in that same grin she had before and her fingers had not stopped playing and fucked up the song. 2D was aroused! Actually aroused! The way the lights played and danced over him made it easier for her to see the obvious volume on the front of his pants and he actually began to thrust into the air and – he had never done that! The only person to ever do something like that before had been Murdoc and it never looked this good; she always felt a little creeped out by that but whatever.

Her mouth was watering and felt dry simultaneously. Noodle pressed her legs together and now wished the concert would end already so she could seek refuge in her room and take care of the distracting tingling between her legs. 2D was panting when the song finished and met her gaze, flashing her a half smile, half smirk, and it took her all of her self-control not to drop everything and drag him backstage. Noodle growled and touched a hand to her forehead; it was going to be a long, long performance. Behind her, the crowd cheered and asked for more.

After what felt like an eternity and a half, the concert was finally over and Noodle just wanted to go to the hotel room that, thanks to some god-sent intervention, she had to share with the very cause of her agitation, but Russel held her back on the reception hall of the building to talk. He had noticed that for the last half of the show, after they played _Charger_ , she did not seem to be quite well, although he did not know _why_. Thinking of an excuse was easy and she chose the one that still made him feel awkward to talk about: periods and cramps. That got the drummer out of her back and he ushered her to her room so she could get some rest, as if she truly would.

The ride up to their floor seemed to take much longer than it should, so by the time the door of the room was closed and locked, Noodle made up for the time she spent inside the elevator. Every couple of steps an article of clothing was left behind, the sound of the running shower getting louder the closer she got to it until she was standing outside its locked door stark naked and ready. More than ready, actually.

The door opened smoothly to reveal the misty inside of the bathroom, the mirror and glasses all fogged due to the vapor, 2D humming a tune to himself as he rinsed out his darkened blue hair. She was aching beyond belief and she had noticed a while ago that she could not take care of it on her own. It was just her luck that the hotel staff got their reservations wrong and did not reserve a room for the singer, and she immediately proposed that they share hers.

He did not hear or notice her when she entered the bathroom and then the glass stall, but his eyes shot open when she pressed herself to him and her hands roamed his back freely. It took him a while to respond to her touches, but once her lips started working on his collarbones and base of his neck, his mouth was hanging open, the feeling of her warm tongue gliding over his wet skin was something he had never thought would feel so good. 2D let himself be pushed against the wall, the cold tiles sending a shiver down his spine and awakening him just barely from his haze to look down at her with lustful eyes.

Feeling his stare burning on the top of her head, Noodle pulled back to look him in the eyes. Beneath the arousal, he seemed amused and intrigued. "Why...?" He rasped, unable to find him voice.

She was so unbearably close to him that she could feel his hardness against her stomach and she was certain she was dripping. Rather than explaining, the guitarist tugged him down and dove in to a deep, passionate kiss, coaxing his tongue into dancing with her own. "A cha-charger..." She pulled away just enough to whisper the words and angled her head for another kiss.

2D smirked with a huff, evading her lips and moving them until she was the one trapped against the wall, repressing another moan as her frame shook from the sudden cold. He knew what she was talking about; from where he was standing on the stage then, he could see her eyes behind the lenses. If he could not, well, he could feel her heavy gaze on him watching as he performed. And that outfit? Might as well be one of his favorites. He would like to take her with that on her body. "Yeh wanna sing, hm?" He murmured in her ear, nipping at her earlobe as best as he could as he stretched his arm across the small stall and shut the water flow. "Sing fo' me, Noodle."

The singer whirled her around, her back to his chest as he moved them out of the stall. Her wet feet touched the simple rug there and she resumed the song, her voice quivering as his hands traveled down her shoulders to her chest to squeeze her breasts. "Everything's supposed to get in..." Noodle sucked in a breath through her teeth when he caught a nipple between two digits and licked her lips. "I just don't know where I'm – _ah –_ getting from."

He hummed in appreciation, his tongue on her ear and his right hand now wandering down her ribs and flat stomach. "A cha-charger."

"What is the cause of it?" Noodle was doing a good job in singing it so far, even though the rhythm was disrupted sometimes by a sigh or a syllable that was dragged out in a hum. "And in that case how... Do you know it's your o- _oohh!_ "

The last words of her sentence were replaced with a long moan when his fingers dipped between her folds, and she pushed her hips back against his, smirking lazily when he hissed beside her ear. "A cha-charger." He continued, voice rough and hard and brows frowning in concentration as he now guided her out of the bathroom and towards the bedroom.

Walking with his hand between her legs was odd given the height difference, but it was pleasurable anyway. "What do you say now?" Her back arched, head tilted back, and he was graced with a view of her flushed cheeks and tightly shut eyes. "Thought you could use it–" The rest of the words died as she was turned around suddenly once again and was pushed down onto the soft mattress, his mouth working against hers desperately until she ran out of breath and forgot what she was supposed to do. They were close enough to the edge so her feet were planted on the ground and she was sure his position above her was uncomfortable, but he did not seem to care.

2D made sure to remind her once he pulled away, gazing deeply into her half-lidded eyes. "A cha-charger."

She nodded dumbly, shifting beneath him before he started to move down. "What did you do in it?" Her mind was whirling, spinning fast and she was having trouble to keep up. His fingers were still working against that bundle of nerves and now his tongue was giving attention to one perky nipple. "I bet you're..." What was the rest? Noodle could not seem to recall, it was hard thinking with the way his fingers and mouth were moving. "Racing it? I'm left in a stew – _damnit, D!_ "

The singer released her breast and peeled himself from her, the pace of his fingers now slowed down to a lazy stroke that was driving her insane. "Well done." He praised her, his black eyes warm with lust, and moved away completely to sink to his knees between her legs. Noodle lifted her head to look down at him as if trying to comprehend what he was doing. "Sing."

She frowned at his commands, but quickly shoved her confusion aside as his tongue delved between her folds and she threw her head back with a strangled cry. Repeating the verse once more was incredibly difficult and he kept growling to remind her that she was supposed to keep singing. She was just breathing out the words, whispering them and trying to maintain the melody instead of just humming along in pleasure. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the guitarist realized that he was making her do this so she would keep from moaning aloud and alerting their two neighbors, Murdoc and Russel, that they were doing a little more than just sharing a bedroom. They were sharing a bed. And doing a little more than just sleeping side by side. The other times they had done this, they were completely alone in the house or everyone was too distracted to notice them missing. However, this time they were placed in a room right between the drummer's and the bassist's and there was no loud music to drown out the sounds any of them could make.

Her fingers weaved through his hair and tugged, pulled him closer, she writhed restlessly on the bed and begged him to end this teasing already in between lines, and he seemed satisfied with this once she had sung the verse a total of three times since they started their little game. 2D hardly had the time to pull away from her and she was already grasping his shoulders and scooting back on the mattress, spreading her legs to accommodate him and kissing him hungrily. Noodle tasted herself in his tongue and squeezed his hips with her thighs until he did what the both of them wanted.

His erection slid in without issue and they hummed in unison, faces apart as they held their breaths. The singer raised his eyes to her face, ready to command her once again, but the order never left his lips because she saw through him and began reciting the lyrics again, her nails digging into his back as he began to move. 2D was transfixed by her, resisting the urge to dip his head and kiss her just so he could watch her face as her lips moved and her soft voice reached his ears. It seemed that whenever something like this happened, one of their songs was involved in some way. He could think back to that day in their home studio late at night and when they hosted that house party.

Noodle was now matching his thrusts, only stopping to take a breath and mending one line to the other so she would not have room to make any noise. The song was just breathy lyrics whispered in a rushed, uneven voice that came from parted lips. 2D himself was gritting his teeth until it hurt so he would not let out any sound that could ruin this and have the both of them get caught by their very angry, aggressive and overprotective bandmates. They never had to worry about it before, so it was a test that, if ended well, they could redo again and again when they were wanting it too much to wait for another chance to be alone.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to him and touching their foreheads together, the last verse of the song, the one in which his lines and Grace's mingled, sounding so surreal as her voice began to fail her and the words finally died in her throat as they gave way to a satisfied, and rather quiet, moan that he swallowed with a kiss. Her walls tightened around him and he felt himself coming closer. A few more thrusts and he joined her into oblivion, his entire body stiffening above her before he collapsed.

Her fingers combed through his damp hair and she smiled softly at him when he lifted his head, welcoming his tender kiss as her eyelids fluttered shut. This was good; this was so good. If he ever got hard during a concert again, she would not mind repeating this, and they could always do something so more hotels would get their reservations wrong.

* * *

The next morning, Noodle went down for breakfast alone, leaving 2D behind to sleep in a little more before they had to leave and catch a plane. Russel and Murdoc were there and engaged in a very serious looking discussion that came to an abrupt stop once the drummer saw her approaching them and his face grew rigid. She gave them a quizzical look and a greeting and pulled back one of the chairs set around the circular table.

Noodle sipped the water in her cup and picked the menu up, casually looking through it as Russ tried to organize his thoughts. "Noodle, baby girl." She only hummed in response and waited for him to continue. How could he approach the subject and not make her angry if they were wrong? It was a grave accusation they were about to make. "We were talkin' an'... Well, Murdoc..."

The bassist groaned in exasperation and threw his arms up. "Fo' Satan's sake! I heard moanin' comin' from yer room last night!"

She gave a slight snort and waved a waiter over without looking up from the printed letters. "Of course." Murdoc seemed to go red in the face with anger until he resembled a tomato and Russel got so incredibly pale that Noodle actually felt bad for being so blunt with her lie. "Period and cramps, Russ, remember? I told you I was in pain."

"An' D?" He inquired hesitantly and waited patiently for her to order her meal and close the little booklet.

"He did everything to make me feel better, it was very sweet." She supplied with a slight shrug, inwardly laughing at the fact that Murdoc was the one who was pale now and feeling highly uncomfortable, glancing about as if he wanted to leave.

It was while the bassist was restlessly moving around his chair that the singer joined them, giving them a sleepy greeting and picked up the menu she had just put down. Noodle reached over to him, aware that Russel was watching them with mixed emotions, some relief and some apprehension, but instead of patting his thigh as the drummer thought she was doing, the guitarist actually stroked the jeans covered area near his crotch rather firmly the way he liked, causing him to look at her with a quirked brow.

Noodle gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you for last night, D. You were really helpful."

He gave her a toothless grin that was silly to others but to her, it held a meaning, somehow managing not to blush despite the way he was beginning to get hard again. Russel's shoulders deflated and he nodded as if thanking the heavens, Murdoc missed the entire exchange as he downed a very much needed dose of bourbon in one go, and none of them knew that 2D's smile was the one he always gave her when sex had been great.


	11. xi: Paula

I had this drafted quite some time ago. I have 20 drabbles and oneshots written in total, so I'm guessing I'm running out of ideas - except for the Sex Yeah series because we're just getting started lmao

Enjoy!

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort, Waiting

 **Family:** Children, Family

 **Sex Yeah:** Momentz, Charger

* * *

 **xi. Paula**

* * *

It was hard to catch 2D looking so concentrated, unless you happened to walk in on him when he was writing lyrics, which no one ever did anyway just in case he got so distracted he forgot it all, but Noodle sometimes got to see it. It happened when they went out together to get groceries; it was usually a task she did along with Russel, but sometimes 2D would either tag along or ask to go in someone's place. Murdoc was never really a good option to send out to the supermarket; he was getting better, but he still had a long way to go.

2D did not do much. Comparing prices and picking ripe fruits and vegetables was always a task performed by either Noodle or Russel, so all he ever did was push the cart around and wait until they were done picking healthy food and moved on to a little junk food for indulgence. That was when Noodle always got the chance to see him with furrowed brows and lip caught between his teeth as he chose the best flavor of chips to take. She would usually rest her hip on the cart and watch his face more than she would help him pick one so they could go home. She would gladly stay hours in the supermarket just to see him ponder if it was best to take the barbecue chips or the ketchup ones.

"In one 'and, it'll be like eatin' fries wiff ketchup, but in the other, barbecue sauce is good..."

He looked at her for guidance, silently asking for her opinion, and she grinned at him. "Why don't we take both? It's not like we're getting only one anyway." He nodded with a smile, satisfied, and placed both bags of chips inside the carts.

"Ooooh, can we take sum cookies?"

Noodle wrinkled her nose. "Store-bought cookies are hardly better than homemade ones." She stared at his blank face, hard, until it brightened up and he caught her drift. 2D moved down along the isle looking for a big bag of chocolate chips, and she followed him as he hunted down the necessary ingredients for the recipe the both of them knew by heart.

2D learned how to cook in the time he spent in Beirut, but it was not nearly as good as her cooking, or Russel's. He liked to help, however, even if he ended up cutting his fingers nearly every time he had a knife in his hands. She would always patch it up with a band-aid and place a soft kiss upon it, and he would stroke her cheek lovingly in return. Cooking was an activity they enjoyed doing together, even if she did most of it. It was fun and that was what mattered to the both of them.

He ventured into the supermarket by himself at some point, looking for razors after stroking his chin and feeling the stub there, remembering he was supposed to shave. Noodle went on ahead to the cashier to secure a place seeing as more and more people were arriving to the store, so she settled behind a line of three shopping carts with as little things inside as possible and hummed a tune to herself as she studied the various candy bars on display. A cart stopped behind her after a while, but she did not give it much thought.

Her boyfriend was back few minutes later, squeezing his way through the line of carts stationed behind theirs, and dropped the razors on top of a box of hamburgers while he showed her his finding. "Look, we could use 'ese."

She studied the cookie cutters in his hand, taking in their animal shapes, and nodded. "We'll need a new recipe, though." And finding one was no problem to them, of course.

"Stuart?"

They both turned to look over their shoulders at the source of the feminine voice, and it did not escape Noodle how 2D seemed to freeze at the sight of the woman. At first thought, the guitarist figured she was just a fan, but then again, if that were the case, she would have referred to him as 2D. She tried not to squint her eyes at this stranger, taking in her shoulder length dark hair and fair skin. Really, should she know who this woman was...?

"Paula." 2D breathed out, and Noodle's heart stopped in her ribcage.

Paula? Paula Cracker? 2D's ex-girlfriend who used to be the guitarist of Gorillaz before Russel caught her and Murdoc having sex in stall number three and she came along? Of all people... Noodle felt the need to shake her head to clear her thoughts and get rid of the dizziness, but she did not want to bring attention to herself right now.

She was very attractive; Noodle would be lying if she said otherwise. And it was not like she was feeling intimidated or insecure, but her pulse was so quick and her ears were buzzing. She was definitely _not_ prepared for this encounter, none of them were. If this ended in a fight, she could guarantee that she would come out unscathed, but there was no telling how running into Paula after years would affect 2D. Sure, he would not ditch her just to run into his ex's arms, but it was a delicate situation. Paula did cheat on him after all. With Murdoc no less.

Seeing as both of them were just staring at each other at a loss of what to do, Noodle took a step closer and offered her hand with a brilliant smile on her face. "Hey. I'm Noodle. Nice to meet you."

Paula's dark eyes swiveled in her direction and she blinked herself out of her trance. "Hey, um, I'm Paula." She took her hand and they shook it as amicably as possible. "I'm... An old acquaintance of his."

Noodle nodded, taking in her words of choice. Acquaintance, huh? Nice save. She was going to play the _I'm dumb_ card as well. "It's such a small world, isn't it?" She lightly elbowed 2D in the ribs, waking him from his reverie with a start. "How long has it been since the two of you have seen each other?"

"Uh..." He began fiddling with his fingers now clearly anxious. Understandable, really. They had just run into his ex and he had never talked about her, ever. What Noodle knew about Paula, she heard from Russel. "Bout... Nineteen years, maybe?" As far as she knew, 2D was unaware that she knew they used to be in a relationship.

"Yeah." Paula tugged at the long sleeve of her sweater and glimpsed at something behind them. "Look, a cashier is calling for you guys. I, um, just wanted to apologize."

Noodle wanted to run to the cashier as fast as her feet could take her so she would not be around when something so important was happening, but she could not. Leaving now without even saying goodbye was incredibly rude, and Russel did not raise her to be impolite.

"I know what we did was wrong, so I'm apologizing on my behalf." She was looking 2D in the eye now, and he was pretty immobile. "I hope there's no hard feelings between us."

A pinch from Noodle at his side snapped him back to reality once again. "Y-Yeah, it's okay. Now it is, anyways. Don' worry, I don' 'ate yew or anyffink."

Paula gave him a tentative smile, gripping at her cart with white knuckles, and Noodle had to intervene. "I'm sorry for cutting this moment short, but the cashier is getting really impatient." The woman nodded in understanding, and Noodle smiled at her. "Again, it was nice to meet you. We'll keep in touch."

"Bye," she said quietly, watching as the guitarist tugged at 2D's shirt and guided him and the cart towards the cashier.

Noodle apologized profusely to the young man, quickly unloading her groceries as 2D placed them inside bags in a robotic-like manner, and she grimaced. She secretly passed the cashier a nice tip for waiting for them and grabbed most of the bags, taking the lead as they exited the store towards their car in the parking lot. They arranged everything in the trunk of the car and Noodle decided to drive them home, not really trusting 2D behind a wheel while he still seemed to be deep in thought.

She started the car and drove away, keeping the radio turned off throughout the trip. On the last stoplight before they reached home, he broke the silence. "Noodle?"

"Yes, D?"

"Bout Paula, she..." He paused, licking his lips. "She an' I... Murdoc..."

Noodle quickly changed gears and reached over for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You can tell me it when you're ready, baby."

He wheezed, bringing their hands up to his face to kiss her knuckles tenderly. "Fanks, love."


	12. xii: Birthday Girl

Truth be told, I just wrote this while I'm rendering some images. I'm so out of it those days that I thought yesterday was the last day of October, so ummm, sorry for my slip up on the last chapter of _Attempting Love_ lmao. Showing you a less glamorous side of birthdays, which is still much better than what I had planned for you guys.

Enjoy!

 **R.I.H.:** Comfort, Waiting

 **Family:** Children, Family

 **Sex Yeah:** Momentz, Charger

* * *

 **xii. Birthday Girl**

* * *

Noodle sighed and sunk to her knees on the futon in her bedroom, stretching her arms upwards to loosen up her muscles. It had been a long, long day, and after promoting the new single and running after some last minute things for the party that night, she was thoroughly exhausted. Sleep eluded her, though, and the guitarist decided to open the gifts she had received to pass time until she was ready to crash.

Next time, she would try to assure that no one had to share their birthdays with the release of a new song. It was not that she had not received enough attention; she had, believe her. She got plenty of messages on social media and fans and acquaintances that saw her pass by made sure to congratulate her, but she would rather have to work on lighter things to save up some energy for the party that had been planned weeks ago.

She had a guest list prepared, but Murdoc always invited more people behind her back. The house was packed with people she both knew and never heard off. Many collaborators were present, old and new, and some people from the label attended. It felt like they were celebrating _Humanz_ all over again and she doubted she had enough snacks and drinks for all these people. The hint of stress Noodle had been feeling thanks to _Garage Palace_ began to grow as she received many elbows to the ribs when trying to maneuver her way from one side of the room to the other.

At least, she had locked the door of her bedroom.

The guitarist found a group of people that she knew would not irritate her too much and hid among them to try to salvage her night. She did not even dance all the she had wanted to dance, tired and growing more pissed off as she was. Noodle hardly saw her own bandmates. She knew that Russel was mostly in the kitchen trying to protect her birthday cake and heard that 2D had been hit in the face by something and had gone upstairs to stop the bleeding. She did not even talk to her own boyfriend during her party.

Rubbing a tired hand over her eyes, she exhaled through her nose and reached for the first gift. Noodle had only wanted a small get together so she could at least say that she had celebrated her birthday and enjoyed it, but it did not go according to plan. She wanted to maybe drink an entire bottle of wine by herself now to drown out her negative feelings and thoughts, but she was sure the unwanted guests had drained all the bottles she had bought. Ugh, she had promised Kali a bottle of an expensive brand of wine and it was gone.

Her first gift was a choker. It was pretty and delicate, made of little golden stars. Afraid that she could break it whilst trying to put it on now, Noodle set it aside and opened the next box to find the new palette of a makeup brand she liked. She touched a fingertip to one of the eyeshadows and brought it closer to her face to inspect it. The pigmentation was good, she could not wait to create a look with this, the choker and the hot pink dress from the fourth box she opened.

She had gotten many clothes and accessories. Tomorrow, she would try them all on and text those that had given her these lovely gifts. For now, Noodle was content to slip everything into their respective packaging and listen to the soft rainfall. Maybe, it would calm her a bit.

The door of her bedroom opened just as she was piling everything by the wall. 2D walked in as quietly as he could, the bruise on his right temple immediately catching her attention. It was an ugly purple colors and still slightly bloodied, and very noticeably swollen. It made Noodle not notice the little plate he had in his hand until he was sitting beside her.

She glanced down at the slice of chocolate cake, the same one she had baked with Russel on the previous day to celebrate. A single tiny candle was stuck in it, the little flame flickering slightly. Her face scrunched up at the realization that the guests had managed to go over Russel to get to her cake.

"I'm so sorry, love." He apologized in a whisper, taking a gentle hold of her shoulder to pull her close and kiss her cheek. "It's all I could save."

Noodle sniffed and tried not to cry, but it was hard to keep the tears from springing from her eyes when her throat was suddenly closing up. 2D shushed her and rested his cheek on top of her head, his hand now working up and down her arm in a comforting gesture. The day could have been so much worse in so many ways, she knew, but Noodle was so frustrated with everything. The flame was blown out as a gust of wind managed to make its way through the panels of her window, and slowly she peeled herself away from her boyfriend. His shirt was damp where she had buried her face and the fabric was crumped where her fingers had gripped tightly. She did not even knew when she had done that.

2D smiled sadly at her and offered the plate to her, showing a small fork that had been kept hidden between the porcelain and his palm. "Happy birfday, love." He kissed her forehead this time and wiped away the tear streaks for her face. Hesitating when she caught her eyes, the singer slowly reached for his back and under his shirt. "I... Made yew a gift."

Perking up a bit, she waited for him to show her a hardcover sketchbook. Her head tilted to the side slightly; he was no artist when it came to drawing, but she was curious to see what was in there. There were a couple of hearts glued to the black cover and Noodle peered up at him for a while, watching as he rubbed the back of his head in an uneasy manner and waited for her to open it. And so she did.

The first page had some flowers and hearts drawn all over it in different sizes and all of them in uneven lines. Her lips quirked up a bit and she turned the page, finding a brief love letter scribbled in his scrawny handwriting and more hearts at the bottom of the page. It had a date, the same one from when they had begun to see each other. Next was a picture of her, drawn by him of course; it looked nowhere like herself, but she was smiling in the picture as she received a kiss on the cheek from him. His cheeks were painted deep red to show his blush.

The more she turned pages and saw all the drawings, all the letters, little fragments of lyrics and poems, flowers and whatnot taped to the pages, the more Noodle wanted to cry – for a good reason. It was clear that he had been preparing this gift for a long time now, but since he saw the pile of gifts she had gotten, 2D was unsure if she would like it. In all honesty, Noodle loved it. It was so simple, but so heartfelt that she closed the little book and put it away before she could cry on the pages and ruin everything.

He tensed, thinking that she had hated it, but once she was holding his face in her hands and kissing him, the singer easily melted and returned the affection. Relief washed over him as he heard her thanking him and felt her lips curving against his own, and he placed another kiss to her forehead with a loving smile on his face.

Noodle was now grinning, her lashes damp from emotion and her face flushed prettily. "You saved my birthday." She said as she took the plate from his hand. "Let's share this cake so we can go to bed."

2D nodded, liking the idea of getting to kiss those lips while they tasted so sweet and then share a bed.


	13. xiii: maybe in time

Inspired by a conversation on the Alliance this morning. The thing is: I've got a killer headache, I feel like a mess, and idk what I'm doing.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **xiii: maybe in time**

* * *

It is a good gift, Noodle tells herself once more, tongue poking through her lips in concentration as she traces the graphite with the felt tip of a pen. She spent hours compiling songs and choosing the best ones for this mix, songs she knows he likes, songs she hopes will let him know how she feels. Of course, the delivery will be accompanied by a few chosen words, cliché and overused, but truthful nonetheless.

She has to say it tonight, has to let him know before they leave Kong, before they spend the following days together on the set of their new music videos. It's not a matter of losing her courage or not, but rather a matter of timing. It feels right to do it now, especially when she takes into consideration the lyrics of one of the chosen songs. She can barely keep the confession to herself, the words threatening to burst from her lips at any moment if she doesn't catch herself and hold them back. A sense of urgency has been growing lately within her, and Noodle can't quite understand where it came from, but she welcomes it as it pushes her to talk to him about it.

She doesn't bother to wrap the gift and bolts from her room as soon as she thinks the cover she drew looks good. A beautiful pattern surrounds the thick paper cut in a square, and the title is written in her best cursive letter. Black and blue on white, a scheme of colors that fit the singer rather well.

Noodle finds him in the darkened living room, bathed by the flickering colors of the telly as he switches channels aimlessly, trying to find something good to watch. No one has seen Murdoc since yesterday and she can hear Russel's snores coming from his room. She steps further into the room with a smile, the knowledge that they aren't likely to be interrupted only making her more giddy and expectant of what is to come.

2D grins when he spots her and pats the vacant space beside him on the couch, silently inviting her to join his quest of looking for a decent movie or tv show. Noodle grips the CD case tightly against her chest and swallows, pressing her lips together as she looks up at him. She's glad the overhead lights are turned off as they help conceal the blush she can feel burning on her cheeks.

His gaze slips down and then back up. "Watcha got there, lil love?"

Noodle grits her teeth. It's usual for him to refer to other women as love, but little love has always been reserved solely for her. "It's a gift. I made it. For you."

His eyebrows rise, lips parting slightly. "Thank you, Noodle." She offers him the case, stretching both her arms for him to take it, an unnecessary action considering they're sitting close. "Why are yeh givin' me this out o' tha blue? It's not a holiday, is it? Is it my birfday?"

She laughs lightly, presses her damp palms on her thighs when her heartbeat increases. "No, it's not. I just... Wanted to give you something."

He smiles that beautiful, soft curve of his lips that she has loved since she first saw it years ago. 2D opens the case and finds the same title written on the disc. " _Maybe in time_ , uh?"

She shrugs, her nerves beginning to get out of control. "Yeah, I – I really love that part of the song."

"So do I." He admits. "It might be my favorite song o' tha album, to be honest."

2D is looking at her, just looking as he always does, but it makes her feel self-conscious. Noodle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, wondering if what little makeup she applied is enough to make her features pop. Does he like her eyeliner and eyeshadow? Does he think she overdid it? Does he like her hair? Russel has been saying that she should get her bangs cut a little shorter, but she likes them as they are.

She runs a finger along the ends of the strands, arranging them until they uncover her eyes and he is looking directly into them. The long bangs serve as some kind of protection – she can easily hide behind them if she feels uncomfortable in any situation. Staring into his eyes now without that barrier makes her insides flutter and Noodle wants to retreat, to hide her eyes again, but doesn't. He needs to see her eyes as she speaks and she needs to do the same.

Her fingers play with one another on her lap. It feels like five minutes have passed, but in reality, it has only been a couple of seconds. 2D is starting to turn away, either to look back at the telly or the CD case. She feels the words crawling up her throat, dancing along her vocal chords, rolling off her tongue and traversing the space between them.

"I love you."

2D stops. Her lungs cease too, and it's a miracle that her heart keeps on beating. He looks at her, furrows his brow as he searches her face for something, studies her quietly and she doesn't squirm under his scrutiny. Then he sighs, slightly shakes his head and smiles at her. "I love yeh too, lil love."

She grins at him, heart soaring, wraps her arms around him tightly when he pulls her close in a side-hug. He loves her. _He loves her!_ Noodle smells the scent of his clothes and closes her eyes in bliss, enjoying his warmth before he pulls away and tells her she should go to bed. She hardly gets a wink of sleep that night, excited as she feels, tossing and turning on her bed until dawn breaks and she has to give up on her daydreams for a few hours.

There's much she wants to say, much she wants to do with him, but can't act on her wishes with their bandmates around. 2D is acting as if nothing has happened, talking to Russel in the backseat of the car. She mentally applauds his performance and keeps him in her thoughts as she prepares for her own upcoming show aboard her windmill island, looking but not paying attention to what happens around her on set. She parts ways when they have to go into the tower, sparing his retreating back a long glance before skipping along to where she needs to be.

Everything about her windmill island is perfect, from the blades of grass on her bare skin to the trees that rustle softly on the wind. She sits by the edge, fearless, recalling the words and engraving them in her mind. Noodle hopes to never forget how he said them, how they were accompanied by the nickname given by him that she loves. She wants to hear them again, wants to say them again every day of their lives. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much and for a moment she forgets there are cameras turned in her direction.

Her mind supplies her with different scenarios from chick flicks she watched when no one was looking, his hands on her waist and his mouth on her own. Are his lips as soft as they look? How would it feel like to entwine her fingers with his as they lay together in bed? All the places they can go together, all the things they can do as a couple, all the cool places they can go to on dates.

A flower flutters away with the wind, helicopters approach. Noodle remembers she's there for a reason and wonders if there has been a change of plans until something wheezes past her just beside her head.

White noise.

It's the dirt fluttering upwards as result of the impact that makes Noodle understand her predicament and not the flashing of the machine guns or the sounds they make. She runs, the images of 2D's beautiful smile and soft eyes dissipating as a million questions take their place. Her heartbeat is wild again, not the pleasant, fuzzy way it had been until now. Her heart seems to be pumping ice into her veins and her limbs grow heavy with dread, stomach sinking.

This... This isn't supposed to be happening. Her island is on fire, they're trying to take her life. The windmill is ruined, her knees are scrapped, there's soot in her hair and a knot in her throat. This wasn't on the script! What is Murdoc trying to do? Get her killed?

Noodle risks a look outside, mind running too fast, remembering and registering things that happened in the last hours. 2D's delicate hug. Russel's brilliant smile that morning when he set a plate of pancakes before her. Murdoc's usual greeting, a roll of his eyes followed by a grunt. The cows by the side of the road as they made their way to the set. The makeup artist applying powder to her cheeks.

The same makeup artist flirting with 2D moments later. 2D flirting back, a cocky smirk on his lips, half-lidded eyes roaming her figure. She can hear it in her mind, the purr of his throat when he says something witty, his smooth chuckle when he makes the woman blush.

Noodle walks backwards into the darkness of the windmill. How could she have missed it? Was she so high on cloud nine that she somehow overlooked that? But he said... Doesn't he...? He loves her, right? He said so himself just last night. How can he love her and check out someone else when she's so close?

Unless he doesn't love her the way she wants him to, doesn't return her feelings in the same way with the same intensity.

Noodle chokes on a sob, presses her fist to her mouth.

A fool, that's what she is.

Her heart breaks, her dream shatters, and the island falls.

* * *

Catch me watching the El Mañana video, but not listening to it so I won't cry


	14. xiv: birthday boy ii

Happy birthday, 2D my precious bean!

I's a good thing I wrote this back in April bc I haven't written something good in weeks kslahlaskh

Enjoy!

* * *

 **xiv: birthday boy ii**

* * *

The club is packed tonight, thrumming to the beat of overly loud songs and bodies swaying on the dancefloor, illuminated by a throng of colorful, bright lights. The bar is located in a more secluded area bathed in an orange glow that is easy on the eyes. 2D leans his elbow on the granite counter and swirls his drink inside the glass, watching the ice cubes dancing in the amber liquid with disinterest. His head has been pounding since the moment he set foot in this club, a pulsing pain located behind both broken eyes. He knows better than to mix medicine with liquor, but is tempted to do that in case he evades a nearly certain death and manages to get rid of this discomfort.

Russel is sitting on the stool beside his, a bottle of beer in his hand as he chats with the bartender about politics. This is supposed to be a meeting to celebrate Stu's birthday, but Murdoc is somewhere trying to hook up with someone and 2D has ran out of things to say. Despite the weeks spent apart, they met up for a night out hours ago and have already caught up on anything that could be interesting and worth sharing. He wants to leave, but thinks it will be rude to ditch his friends.

2D takes a gulp of his whiskey and wipes his lips with the back of his hands. He checks the watch on his wrist; they have been here for approximately forty minutes. He doesn't understand how Murdoc can try to find a... Date for tonight. They aren't exactly as young as they used to be in college, and the trio is at least eight years older than the kind of public this club attracts. True, there are some people that are into older men, but personally, 2D has yet to meet with one that does not have any kind of ulterior motives. Most of the younger women he dated seemed to expect him to be some kind of younger sugar daddy, and left sorely disappointed when they found out he isn't filthy rich.

Another bartender offers to refill his glass, but he declines and asks for a soda instead. He is in the mood for something fizzy and sweet, and entertains a bit of hope that a non-alcoholic drink will magically cure his headache-bordering-migraine. The man speaking with Russ moves away to tend to another client and his friend turns back to him with an apologetic smile, motioning at the can in his grip with his half-empty bottle.

"Ya okay, man?" 2D nods his reply. "If ya wanna leave, we can go. I'm just gonna finish this and ditch Muds."

"Tha' wouldn't be nice."

"Sure it won't, but I'm tired of seein' him chasin' chicks and dudes and other kinds of entertainment." Russel responds with a shrug and props an elbow on the counter. "And if I find out he's doin' drugs again, Imma beat him to an inch of his mediocre life."

2D chuckles and downs the rest of his drink, the usual odd feeling clogging his throat as the carbonated liquid goes down. They keep in touch via group messages, and the older man mentions his encounters with illicit narcotics every couple of days. Privately, Russel and 2D have expressed their concerns and the former mentioned looking for a rehabilitation program for their friend once. Murdoc is a jackass that is hard to handle more often than not, but they still care for him despite all the nicknames given through the years.

A lithe body stumbles in the space between them and both men turn to the newcomer. A woman with tousled hair and slanted eyes straightens her form fitting dress and fixes them with a brilliant smile. "Hey!" She throws an arm around 2D's shoulder and he leans down awkwardly to better fit into her embrace. "There's this creepy guy hitting on me and he won't leave. Do you mind if I stick around with you guys for a bit?"

They share a glance and a common thought: is Murdoc the guy she's talking about? That's likely. "Sure." Surprisingly, 2D is the first to take initiative by giving up his stool so she can sit on it instead. She smiles gratefully and reaches down to rub her sore ankles. Her heels seem to be killing her feet.

"We're leavin' in a few. Would ya like us to escort ya outside?"

"I'd like that, thank you." She beams at them and signals for a bottle of water. "I lost sight of my friend long ago. I was planning on leaving anyways."

"Then it's settled." Russel lifts his bottle in a saluting gesture and she mimics it before sipping her drink.

They slip into an easy conversation, talking about something 2D doesn't quite catch because he is too busy watching her fan herself and twist her hair away from the nape of her neck to reveal a drop of sweat that glides down her pale skin. It feels wrong to check her out when she has just sought them for protection, and his eyesight is bad, but he isn't blind to beauty when it is standing there just before his nose.

Russel claps his big hands in surprise at something she says and she laughs at him. Something like recognition flickers on his friend's face, but that is all 2D sees that isn't her. She is petite and has curves in all the right places. She crosses a leg over the other and her tight skirt rides up an inch to reveal more bare skin. He's seen women more scantily clad than her, but none seemed to evoke this reaction out of him. He decides the heat of the club is getting to his head, and coupled with his headache, it's bound to be an explosive and dangerous combination.

Before long, they move towards the entrance of the club, the woman sandwiched between them with Russel leading the way, his bigger frame creating a path among the dancing bodies. She has her hand wrapped around 2D's wrist so he won't get lost from them and her other fingers are curled around the back of his friend's shirt. 2D greets the cooler night air with a sigh and their new friend bends down to release the death grip her shoes have on her feet with a hiss. Her toes wiggle on the pavement and she stretches her legs until her ankles pop.

"Ya sure ya don't want us to take ya home, Noodle?"

2D perks up at the name, and she smiles with a wave of her hand. "I'm sure, Russ. I live near Dulwich Park anyways. It's too far from your home."

"D's from around that neighborhood, right, bro?" 2D nods slowly and Russel claps a hand on his shoulder. "Then ya make sure she gets home safely, all right? It was good to see ya again, Noodle. Is yo' number the same one?"

"Yeah. Text me sometime so we can meet up again."

The large man waves at them and heads off in the opposite direction. 2D offers Noodle his jacket and takes the heels from her hands. She smiles bashfully as she slips her arms through the sleeves and rolls them back to an appropriate length to her shorter limbs. The pounding, muffled music of the club fades in the background as they walk away through chilled streets in silence. Noodle whips out her phone and quickly types a message to someone before slipping it back into her cleavage, and 2D watches amazed as she types an entire paragraph in less than thirty seconds. He needs a minute to write a single sentence. The damned letters are too small.

Noodle whirls around to regard him, walking backwards with her hands resting laced together on the base of her spine. He returns her easy smile with a small one of his own, which stretches wider when she tilts her head. She looks insanely cute. "Do you mind if we stop for a quick bite? I haven't eaten in hours."

"O' course. Just lead tha way."

She grins and directs him to a twenty-four hour diner located a little ways out of their path to her neighborhood. The bell above the door jingles when she pushes it open and a teenage boy with braces smiles brilliantly from behind the counter, quickly walking around it with two laminated menus as they slip into a booth by the windows. The teen talks to her for a while and leaves so they can pick their orders, staring at her with longing splattered all over his face from his place by the kitchen doors. She's a regular.

Noodle doesn't seem to notice or mind that the boy is infatuated with her and points at a particular dish on the menu in his hands. "The waffles here are heavenly. Wanna share?"

2D reads the description and feels his mouth watering. "Yeh sure? I don't wanna eat yer food, love."

She laughs and it makes him want to laugh, too. "I don't mind. I don't like eating too much late at night, but I'm really craving waffles. If you don't want to, then I'll just get some toast."

"No, no, then, by all means, get sum waffles."

The teen returns immediately when she calls him over, a skip on his steps and a sparkle in his brown eyes. He jots down her order and nearly melts on the spot when she fixes him with her usual smile that even 2D has already grown to love. Noodle turns her attention back to him as soon as she's done, chin resting on her joined hands.

2D passes the menu to the waiter unseeingly, all his focus on the beautiful woman sitting across from him. "So yeh know Russ?"

"Yes, we were classmates in a course back in college, though he's older and was nearly graduating then." She picks a napkin from a small basket in the center of the table and starts folding it. "I recognized him from a distance and knew I could count on him to hide from that guy."

"'Bout tha' guy... Did he have an awful crooked nose, thick brows, sum yellowed teeth?"

Noodle makes an odd face at him and bursts out laughing. "Oh, no, no. He had a sorry excuse of a goatee and was a douche."

2D nods in relief. "Oh, fo' a moment we thought he could've been our friend. Glad it wasn't him."

The boy sets a plate down before her and she cuts herself a piece before passing the plate and cutlery over to him. He tries to get a bit of everything on the fork and smothers a slice of waffle and banana in the red berry sauce drizzled on top. Not only does the dish smell good, the taste is also otherworldly. 2D hums as the waffle seems to melt on his tongue, his taste buds rejoicing at the sweetness of the sauce. Noodle grins and they share the rest of the food without speaking much.

She pays after insisting she was the one to invite him, and 2D finds himself on the other end of the boy's glare. If the teen is scowling at him because she paid or because they shared a meal, he doesn't know, and honestly he doesn't care. He even goes as far as opening the door for her and directing a smug smile at the waiter to mess with him when she thanks him and tucks some hair behind her ears. Once outside again, he lets his smile drop and they resume their walk to her building, this time talking amicably.

For someone that has troubles to text people and tie his shoes, his fingers know how to cooperate when he wants to play a song on his faithful keyboard. Noodle steps closer to him when the wind picks up, stars in her eyes. "Does Russel still play the drums?" He nods, looking down at her for some clarification. "We should totally form a band!"

"What?"

"Yeah! You play the keyboards and he plays the drums. I don't want to brag, but I can pull off some mad guitar riffs. All we need is a singer and a bassist."

"Murdoc's a bassist." He blurts out, followed by a: "And I can sing."

"No way!" Noodle steps in front of him and he stops. Her fingers curl around the hem of his graphic tee shirt and she stands on her tiptoes to get a closer look of his face. "I could see you have the looks of a rock star, but you sing as well? That's cool!"

2D's gaping mouth closes and curls upwards, heat crawling everywhere around his body. Noodle moves away with a flush on her cheeks and clears her throat, stuttering only slightly as she tries restart a conversation after she practically invaded his personal space. He takes notice that their arms brush together as they walk through silent streets. They talk about music, having found a common interest, and they share names of their favorite songs and artists.

When they reach her building, Noodle climbs the first step so she can be a little closer to his eye level. His gaze looks back into her own then swivel down to see her bottom lip disappear between her teeth. Noodle makes to take off the jacket, but he stops her with a hand on her wrist, his thumb right above her fluttering pulse. She sucks in a breath and he exhales through his nose.

"Yeh can return it to me later."

She hesitates, but eventually nods. "Can – Can you lend me your phone?"

He doesn't think much of the way her voice breaks and releases her so he can pull it out of his pocket. She shivers before he passes her the device, their fingers touching. Her face lights up when she unlocks the screen and she types quickly, a faint music reaching his ears accompanied by a dim light shining through the material of her dress on her chest. As soon as it starts, it stops and she returns the phone to him.

"Now you have my number, and I have yours, so if you're interested in forming a band you can, you know, text me or call me or... Or something."

2D looks down at the screen, at her name on the contact list followed by a single grinning cat emoji. His brain catches up with what she's implying and he looks back up to meet her expectant, nervous dark eyes. Noodle is still nibbling on her lip and, God, does he want to kiss her right now, but he barely knows her and doesn't want to scare her just in case he's misreading her intentions, which happens more often than not, he has to admit.

He slips his phone back in his pocket and lifts her shoes in the space between them. 2D can be slow at times and isn't always the brightest crayon in the box, but for some reason he has always known what to say to the ladies that catch his eyes. "I have a very important appointment tomorrow night an' I'll need tha jacket."

Noodle's hands halt halfway to her heels. "You do?"

He nods solemnly. "So how 'bout we meet at Dulwich Park at seven in the evenin' and then we can try to find this important appointment o' mine?"

She blinks at him and smiles slowly, shoulder shaking with silent laughter. Noodle rests her hand on top of his before slipping her shoes out of his grasp, the tilt of her mouth a coy little thing he wants to wipe off with his own and commit to memory. "It's a date."

So it is. 2D watches as she walks backwards up the stairs, eyes never leaving his until she bumps into the door and gasps in surprise. He chuckles at her embarrassment and waits until she disappears inside the building, which takes a while as she stands there looking back at him with something in her gaze he can't quite name. Once the door's closed behind her, he walks the short distance to his own apartment building, swiping his finger to unlock the phone and staring at her name on his list.

2D shrugs his shoulder and taps the message icon, becoming pleasantly surprised when an ellipse with three blinking dots appear to indicate she's already typing. He snorts to himself at her first message and brings the phone closer to his face, squinting his eyes to see the tiny keyboard better. He puts the device away, but soon it vibrates in his pocket again. None of them will be getting much sleep it seems.


End file.
